


It's From The Stars

by pikaace



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: A good and slightly confused alien, Alien!Squip, Aliens, Alternate Universe, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Good!Squip, Government Experimentation, Human!Squip - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kinda, Magnetic powers, Science Fiction, Squip is a smartass but he's good, Telepathic Bond, Telepathy, based on E.T., he has a physical form sooooo, nothing too bad though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-17 10:52:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13657536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pikaace/pseuds/pikaace
Summary: When a strange object crashes to earth, Jeremy discovers an intelligent, but otherwise peaceful being from outer space. But time is of the essence, as Jeremy and his new friend must find a way to get him back home before they're discovered.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhhhh my first BMC fic! I hope I do good!

The night sky was clear and full of stars, although the residents of New Jersey were unable to see most of it due to the light pollution of their city. Despite the hour being late, the city was bustling, the people oblivious to the large shooting star in the sky, fast approaching the forest outside the city’s borders. The star drew closer and closer until it crashed into the ground, the noise barely audible to the city dwellers.

The star wasn’t a star at all, but a ship, small enough to carry one. The cockpit of the ship was shoved open by a hand, and a body crawled out of the wreckage. The figure tumbled to the ground, his body glowing with light blue lines that resembled circuits. He gripped his side with a cry of pain, his hand coming away covered with neon green liquid. 

The figure grit his teeth and swallowed the pain before making his palm glow light blue. He put his hand on his injury and grimaced, lowering himself to lie on the ground while keeping his hand on the injured area. The figure breathed heavily on the ground, until he finally took his hand away, the pain dying down. He seemed to sustain no other injuries; but now he was low on energy. The marks on his body were dull and fading; he could barely force himself to sit up and look over the remains of his ship. The spacecraft was clearly broken beyond repair. Those humans knew what they were doing when they shot him down. This planet didn’t have anything close to the supplies he needed if he wanted any chance of repairing it. 

The sound of screeching tires was heard and the figure tensed. He used his destroyed ship to climb to his feet and look out into the forest surrounding him. His eyes scanned every life in the immediate area, documenting them in a split second, when he saw lights a good distance away. Footsteps; voices; lights. Humans were coming. Most likely the same ones responsible for his condition. He couldn’t let them find him, nor find the remains of his ship. The knowledge in any hands would be catastrophic. 

Taking a good few steps back, the figure raised both his hands. He winced as both his palms began to glow and energy built up behind them.  There was a flash of blue light, followed by a loud roar, making the incoming humans stop and run about in confusion. The light faded, and the ship was nothing more than a pile of ash. The figure’s legs collapsed under him, the glowing lines growing ever more dull. He glanced up to see the lights of the humans getting ever closer. He forced himself to get up and run, using the trees around him to keep him upright. 

The footsteps continued behind him, fueling his weakened pace until the forest seemed to slowly fade away, revealing a view of the city from atop the hill he was standing on. That city was crawling with humans; he would be seen in an instant. 

The figure glanced behind him, still hearing his pursuers and glanced back at his fading lines. He was weak. He needed resources. Civilization held said resources. Without them he had no chance of escaping. There was no other way. 

Grimacing and forcing himself forward, the figure started his long journey down towards the city, finally losing sight of the humans in the forest.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, in the basement of an ordinary house, two teenage boys sat on bean bag chairs in front of the blaring TV. “Oh shit, move!” 

“Shoot, shoot! C’mon!” 

“Zombie, twelve o'clock!” 

Jeremy and Michael mashed on their controllers as their virtual lives depended on it, shooting down zombies left and right. Two empty pizza boxes sat near them along with some bottles of soda, and Michael and Jeremy began letting out distressed noises as their gaming skills began to fail them.

“No no no!” Michael cried as Game Over flashed on the screen.  “Fuck!” Michael threw his arms up and slumped back on his bean bag, while Jeremy punched the floor with his free hand. They sat in silence, fuming silently for a bit. 

“Maybe we should take a break,” Jeremy commented. 

Michael made a noise and reached for some soda, but only a few empty bottles were near him. “May as well get more soda while we’re mourning our bullshit loss,” He agreed. 

“I’m on it,” Jeremy got up. “Any requests?”

“Mountain Dew; maybe we just need a bigger sugar kick,” Michael answered.

“Copy that,” Jeremy jogged up the stairs and passed the living room and out the sliding glass door towards their backyard. Jeremy headed out to the toolshed when he heard a noise. Jeremy stopped and looked up; he heard the noise again. It was coming from the toolshed. The door was hanging open, when it almost always stayed closed. 

“Dad?” Jeremy called. “Dad, is that you?” No one responded. 

Jeremy then looked behind him and saw his dad’s shadow back inside, moving to the living room and turning on the TV up there. The same noise was heard again and Jeremy slowly froze with fear as he put the pieces together. He stared at the door of the shed, the doorway leading to a wall of blackness; Jeremy wished he brought a flashlight.

Jeremy should have gone back inside and told his dad or Michael, or call the police, but for whatever reason, he started walking towards the toolshed. “H-Hello?” He squeaked. “Is...Is someone in there?” 

There was silence, but Jeremy swore he could see something akin to glowing inside. Something flew out of the door, hitting the fence with a decent clang. Jeremy turned towards the noise, jumping in the process, and then heard rushing footsteps. Jeremy whirled back towards the shed, seeing the door swinging, followed by a loud crunch. Jeremy was drawn to the fence surrounding their yard. 

Jeremy ran up and looked over it, straining his eyesight for a sign of something, but all he heard were footsteps growing smaller and smaller. “What the hell…?”

“Yo, Jere!” Jeremy jumped and whirled around to see Michael, standing in the doorway. “You get lost on the way to the soda?” 

“S-Sorry, I just…” Jeremy glanced back at the forest. “...thought I heard something.” He didn’t imagine that...did he? “I’ll be right there!” Jeremy called, and Michael shrugged and went back inside. 

Jeremy went over to the shed, but couldn’t help but push the door open and step back on the off chance that someone or something was still in there. Nothing happened, so Jeremy hurried inside and flipped on the light switch. Nothing was in there...but something was up. 

Jeremy frowned to see that the mini fridge was hanging open. He wandered over to it and opened it the rest of the way, where a half-full 8oz bottle of Mountain Dew fell out, the last few sips spilling onto the ground in a puddle. Jeremy picked it up and frowned in confusion; whatever was in here wanted their soda? Maybe it was some drunk guy who was thirsty. Jeremy threw the bottle away, got two fresh bottles of Mountain Dew and headed back inside, glancing at the fence one more time.

Jeremy shook his head and he headed back to the basement where Michael was waiting. It was nothing weird at all; Jeremy was sure he’d forget about it by morning. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events from last night weigh on Jeremy's mind, prompting him to find out what caused them. That night he quickly finds that he was right.

Needless to say, Jeremy did not forget about it by morning. It weighed on his mind all day, even at school. He could barely concentrate on schoolwork and ate lunch slowly.

“Yo, earth to Tall-ass!” Rich waved a hand in front of him.

Jeremy blinked, finding himself at the lunch table with all his friends. “What?”

“Jeremy, are you okay?” Christine asked worriedly.

“Yeah, dude, you’ve been out of it all day,” Jake agreed.

“Sorry, I just…” Jeremy trailed off not really knowing what to say. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“Jeremy heard a spooky-scary noise in his shed last night,” Michael said in a mock comforting voice as he pet Jeremy’s head. “It’s been bugging him all day, poor thing.”

“Shut up,” Jeremy muttered, waving his hand away.

“Oh, well, I don’t blame you, Jeremy,” Brooke said. “I’d be scared too if I thought someone had snuck into my yard.”

“I don’t think, I know!” Jeremy protested. “Something was in there and it ran away before I could see it!”

“Hey, for all you know it could’ve been a serial killer,” Rich commented.

Jeremy looked at him in slight fear, “You think?”

“Rich, don’t be a dick,” Jenna commented.

“How can I; that’s just one of my nicknames,” Rich responded, smugly.

Jenna rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean!”

“It was probably just a cat or something,” Chloe said. “You do have a tendency to overreact a bit.”

“I do not!” Jeremy protested.

“Dude, relax,” Jake said waving his hand. “Just call animal control if you hear the noise again.”

“It wasn’t an animal!” Jeremy exclaimed. “Animals don’t throw things and they can’t open doors!”

“Maybe you or your dad left the door open,” Christine piped up.

“We didn’t!”

“It’s totally a serial killer,” Rich muttered.

“C’mon Jere, just let it go,” Michael said, putting an arm around him. Jeremy tried to let it go; he tried for the rest of the day. But it was just impossible. Something about this was keeping his mind on it, and it wouldn’t go away.

When he got home, Jeremy decided he was just gonna have to do the next logical thing: find out what was making those noises.

* * *

 

That night, Jeremy waited until his dad was asleep before going into action. He got out of bed, crept downstairs, and ran out to the shed. He made sure it was closed but unlocked, went back inside, and placed a chair in front of the sliding glass door. He opened it a crack so sound wasn’t completely blocked out and he sat vigil. In hindsight, there was a low chance of whatever made that noise coming back to his house, but it was worth a shot.

Unfortunately, it took longer than he expected, as Jeremy soon dozed off...when he was awakened by a familiar noise. Jeremy jerked awake with a sharp breath and glanced around, his vision clearing just in time to see that the shed door was hanging open, just like before. Someone had opened it.

Jeremy silently swore as he forgot a flashlight yet again, but he reassured himself saying that if it really was a serial killer, he wouldn’t want to give himself away. Jeremy slid out the barely open door and tiptoed up to the shed. Thankfully, the door was open enough for him to fit inside; that door creaked like crazy.

Jeremy slipped inside, the back porch light giving him some vision; enough to see that he was right.

Something was hunched in front of the mini fridge, rummaging through it. Jeremy heard the sounds of swallowing, like liquid. It was drinking their soda again! Jeremy started to get closer when the figure let out a choked noise and froze up.

Jeremy sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back only to trip on his own feet and fall right on his backside. Jeremy’s eyes widened as the figure turned around, revealing a pair of glowing eyes, that were flashing red and blue. Jeremy thought he should be screaming bloody murder, but his throat felt like it was swollen shut.

Jeremy tensed as the figure turned around and tried to stand, only to stumble to the ground. It got on all fours and began crawling towards him with shaky movements, and raspy breaths making Jeremy want to scream even more. “D...Dad…” Jeremy rasped softly. “Dad…help…”

The figure got closer, grunting and wincing in pain all the while as the red seemed to start overcoming the blue. It seemed to be getting weaker as well, as it was now practically dragging itself across the ground. The figure reached towards Jeremy, its eyes wide, and then collapsed. Jeremy waited and stared, but the figure didn’t move.

With shaky movements, Jeremy scrambled to his feet and fumbled for the light switch. The dim light turned on and Jeremy looked to see...a man?

The guy looked like he was in his twenties or so, with black hair, and wearing black pants, shoes, and a black coat that was almost long enough to be a trench coat of some sorts that had light blue designs decorating it. He looked like he had crawled out of some sci-fi story. Jeremy crouched down, trying to see if he had anything dangerous on him, but found nothing. Why was he even here? And what made him pass out like that? Jeremy went over to the still open refrigerator and spied an half-full 8oz bottle on the floor, just like last time.

Jeremy picked the bottle up and turned it over to see the label. Mountain Dew Red. It was one of the bottles Michael had lent him from his secret 90s stash. Jeremy frowned and glanced back at the guy; did the Mountain Dew Red make him sick? This didn’t happen before when he just stole the regular Mountain Dew, did it?

Jeremy’s brow furrowed in confliction as he stared at the man, who was still moaning in pain though unconscious, and Jeremy couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for him. Maybe he was right about his previous assumption that it was just a drunk guy, and he came from a crazy costume party.

Jeremy went back over and knelt by the guy’s side, “Hey,” Jeremy quickly prodded the man’s shoulder once, then twice, “Hey, you okay?”

The man didn’t respond, but he was breathing so that was a good sign. With much effort, Jeremy turned him onto his back, praying that he wouldn’t open his eyes like in horror movies. As he did, he couldn’t help but think that the man’s face looked somewhat similar to Keanu Reeves. Heck, combined with the black outfit, and the blue shirt bearing strange designs, he wasn’t too far from looking like he came from the Matrix movies.

The glowing lines were still there, though they were still starting to become red. Jeremy ran his finger across one of them on the man’s hand and felt his fear rise. That glowing wasn’t some gadget or paint...it was real and actually part of him. But how was that possible?! He noticed that the area where the man’s heart would be was glowing light blue, only it was slowly fading, like a lightbulb that needed changing.

The man coughed and convulsed weakly, red liquid bubbling up from his lips and dripping from his mouth. Jeremy almost jumped away, thinking it was blood, but it was clear and not thick...was it soda?

The man looked at him through half-lidded eyes, the red lights slowly taking over the blue in his irises, “H...Help…” The man rasped, red creeping along the lines on his face. Jeremy felt his pulse speed up with panic; now what? How the hell could Jeremy help him? And why was he apparently dying from some old 90s drink?!

The man’s hand reached out and Jeremy followed it to see that he was reaching towards the mini fridge. “Help…” he repeated, his voice getting weaker.

“W-What do you want?” Jeremy asked helplessly. The man stared at him, still coughing and spitting up red soda. “What do you want me to do?” Jeremy asked again, urgency rising. “I-I don’t know what to do! Tell me!”

The man’s other hand suddenly reached up in a burst of energy and gripped Jeremy’s head. Jeremy yelped in surprise, when a shock ran through his body. On instinct, he grabbed the man’s wrist in an attempt to pull it away, but the man’s grip stayed firm on Jeremy’s head. Jeremy shook and his own eyes temporarily glowed blue as he felt like information was being poured into his brain. Countless images flashed in his vision, but only a certain few seemed to stand out from the others.

After what felt like forever, Jeremy broke free from the man’s grasp and stumbled backwards, holding his now aching head. Jeremy lay there for a good minute, writhing in agony, rubbing his pounding head. He felt like a million voices were in his head! But then, slowly, the feeling settled, almost like snow in a snow-globe as things fell into place. Jeremy slowly sat up, taking deep breaths, and looked at the man and then the mini fridge. He didn’t know how, but he knew what he had to do.

Jeremy ran over to the mini fridge and saw that there was one bottle of Mountain Dew left. He grabbed it, unscrewed the cap, and hurried back over to the man. Kneeling next to him, Jeremy lifted the man’s head and tilted the bottle to his lips. The man took a few sips of the soda and his body seemed to relax. The red on his body slowly reverted back to blue and his eyes slipped closed.

Jeremy blinked as if snapping out of a trance and lowered the man’s head back to the ground, capping the bottle once again. What the hell just happened? Well...the guy was breathing normally and wasn’t red anymore, which was good. Jeremy didn’t know why, but he knew that was good. But...now there was an unconscious glowing guy in his shed. Now what?!

Jeremy’s hand reached for his cellphone to call the police, but something stopped him; something in his head akin to fear. ‘Stay hidden...Stay safe…Survive...’ Jeremy put a hand on his head and stared at the man; what the hell did he do to him?! How did he know and...feel these things?!

This guy clearly wasn't normal. Normal people didn’t having glowing eyes or lines on their body and didn’t almost die just from drinking some soda! But...Jeremy couldn’t just leave him here. He just couldn’t.

With much effort, Jeremy managed to get the man up and leaning on him. It didn’t help that Jeremy was skinny as a stick and this guy was quite muscular from the look and feel of him. Jeremy half-dragged, half-carried the man into his house and made for the stairs. In order to get him upstairs, Jeremy had to resort to dragging him under the arms and letting his legs drag.

Once they got to the hallway, Jeremy debated where to put him. They had no guest bed and his dad was asleep in his own bedroom. So that just left Jeremy’s room. Oh well… Jeremy dragged the man to his own room and somehow managed to get him into his bed. The glowing lines on the man’s body were still glowing but blinking slightly. They lit up his dark room pretty well. Jeremy pulled the blankets over the man’s body and managed to smother the lights.

Now Jeremy just needed some place to sleep, or at least watch. He didn’t feel comfortable sleeping near a stranger he found in his toolshed. Jeremy hurried down to his basement and brought up one of the bean bag chairs to his room. He locked his bedroom door behind him so his dad wouldn’t walk in on him and placed the bean bag next to his bed.

With nothing more to do, Jeremy curled up in the bean bag and stared at the man in his bed. Jeremy was a bit concerned; he shouldn’t be so calm about this. He normally would’ve been freaking out and pacing his room trying to comprehend what he did and saw. But for some reason he felt...calm.

Jeremy’s eyes drooped as he watched the dim glowing from under the blankets. His head began to nod as sleep began to slowly take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the ball gets rolling! The rest of the chapters should be longer after this one ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy learns more about the being he found and Michael helps finally give their new friend a name.

“Jeremy?” Jeremy jumped awake at a sharp knocking at his door. He was still curled up in his beanbag in his room. “Are you awake, son?” His dad called. “You’re gonna be late for school.”

Jeremy rubbed his eyes, and glanced around. The sun was shining brightly through his window; shit, what time was it? Jeremy also had to keep himself from squeaking as the man from last night was still asleep in his bed. And he still had glowing lines on him. He wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating; this was really happening.

“Jeremy?” His dad’s voice snapped him back to attention.

 _‘Shit shit shit!’_ Jeremy began to panic; he couldn’t go to school now, not with some stranger in his house! And there was only one way to get out of school. Thinking fast, Jeremy started coughing as convincingly as he could, “Dad?” He called, making his voice sound rough.

“Jeremy, are you okay?” His dad asked. “You sound terrible.”

“I don’t feel too great,” Jeremy responded, peppering in a few coughs and sniffs. “Don’t come in, okay, I don’t wanna get you sick.” He coughed again, and his dad was silent.

Eventually he spoke, “Alright, Private, just stay in bed, okay?” He said. “If you don’t feel better by the time I get back we’ll call a doctor, okay?”

“Okay,” Jeremy rasped. “Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, son; feel better,” His dad said. Jeremy waited for the  sound of the front door closing before deflating in his bean bag in relief. He looked back at the still sleeping man; okay, he now had the rest of the day to figure out what to do. Hopefully the guy would wake up soon and would be friendly and Jeremy wouldn’t have to call the cops. Jeremy went downstairs and made himself a quick breakfast of cereal, when his eyes fell on the shed.

When he was done eating, Jeremy ventured outside to see that the bottle of Mountain Dew from last night was still sitting patiently on the ground from the shed, the cap still on. Jeremy picked it up; it was still chilled thanks to being outside all night. Jeremy gripped it and brought it back inside; Mountain Dew kept this guy from going crazy the night before, so maybe it would be good to have around. Jeremy finished eating and headed up to his room with the Mountain Dew.

When he opened the door he let out an undignified yelp and jumped about three feet in the air. The man was awake. He was out of bed and seemed to just be wandering around the room, currently gazing at the books on his shelf. The man turned towards him, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes, still slightly glowing despite the morning light, but no longer flashing red.

The eyes honed in on him and the man slowly walked towards him. Jeremy watched with bated breath as he stood right before him, realizing that this guy was about a head higher than him. Jeremy stared at its glowing eyes for what felt like forever, feeling like they were piercing him. “Are you the one who assisted me?”

Jeremy blinked multiple times before registering that the man had spoken. “Uh...I-I guess so,” He said. “I mean, I-I brought you here after I gave you the Mountain Dew s-so…”

“Why?”

Jeremy barely registered the question. “Why what?”

“Why did you help me?” The man repeated.

“You...told me to,” Jeremy answered slowly. “You said ‘help’...”

“A last resort that wasn’t supposed to pay off,” The man said, slight suspicion in his gaze. “You’re a human; according to our database, your first action should have been to eliminate me on the spot.”

Jeremy flinched, “K-Kill you?!” He exclaimed. “Why?!”

“There are a number of reasons; trespassing on your territory, stealing your supplies, disturbing you while you were asleep; your first instinct is to terminate those who cross you; am I wrong?”

Jeremy stared at him; what the hell was this guy talking about, “Uh...yeah, you are wrong.” It was all he could say. “Y-You were hurt, I wasn’t just gonna...leave you there.”

“Why?” The man asked again.

“I don’t know, it was the right thing to do, I guess,” Jeremy tried. “I mean, almost anyone would’ve probably done the same thing.”

The man was silent before he spoke, “Interesting; after I was so quickly shot down, I was inclined to believe your history was right and you were a primitive species, but perhaps our information needs to be updated.”

“Okay…” Jeremy said slowly. He then remembered the bottle he was holding. “Uh, d-do you want this?” He held the bottle towards him. To his relief, the man took it and examined it before opening it and taking a long drink. When he was done, the glowing circuits on his body seemed to glow even brighter, making Jeremy’s eyes widen in amazement. “What...are you?” He finally asked.

The man’s brow furrowed slightly, “I’m surprised you didn’t ask that question earlier.”

“Just slipped my mind, I guess,” Jeremy responded.

“Well, to answer your question, I am part of an advanced race that it not of your world,” The man said.

Jeremy blinked, “Wait...are you saying that you’re an...an alien?!”

“If that is what you call those from another planet, then yes.” The man, no, alien, answered. A part of Jeremy wanted to call bullshit and demand what the guy was really doing, but honestly after what he’d seen...it didn’t seem too far off. But still...

“You don’t believe me,” The alien stated.

Jeremy started, “H-How did you-”

“That’s not surprising; underdeveloped planets like yours usually react with skepticism upon learning this information.”

“D-Does that mean you can prove it?” Jeremy asked.

In response, the alien glanced around the room until his gaze fell the small lamp on Jeremy’s desk. The alien’s eyes glowed blue and the lamp slowly began to lift off the table. The plug came out of the wall and Jeremy’s jaw dropped as his lamp began to float around the room between them, “I can manipulate the electromagnetic energy in the air around objects,” The alien said before carefully placing the lamp back on the desk.

“Can you make anything float?” Jeremy asked, his excitement overcoming his fear.

“No, only objects made of metallic material,” The alien said.

“Just like Magneto!” Jeremy suddenly blurted out. The alien raised an eyebrow at him and Jeremy flushed. “Uh, it’s a guy in a comic book, from X-men,” He explained. The alien’s look didn’t change. Fair enough. “Nevermind, so, uh, what are you doing here?” Jeremy asked. “I mean not, like, right here, like here.” He gestured widely.

“I’m not here by choice,” The alien said. “I was sent here on recovery mission to be completed from space; unfortunately, I was spotted and my ship was shot down.”

“You crashed here?” Jeremy asked in amazement. “Who shot you?”

“Humans, of course,” The alien said bitterly. “They even pursued me after I landed.” This was sounding more and more like a sci-fi movie; an alien crashes on earth and is now hiding from the government officials who probably want to dissect and question him about his species.

“I can’t believe this is happening…” Jeremy muttered. “Oh, uh, no one knows you’re here, right?”

“You are the only human I have had actual contact with, so no.” The alien answered.

“Okay…okay…” Jeremy breathed, running his hands through his hair.

“You are confused,” The alien stated.

“That’s one word for it,” Jeremy muttered, beginning his obligatory pacing. His brain honestly didn’t even know where to start. There was an alien in his room; that was all he could process! Whenever he had a problem like this he would always...wait, that was it! Jeremy rushed out into the hallway and pulled out his cellphone, pulling a number from his contacts and the phone started to ring. There was only one person he could think of to share this with. “Michael?”

“Hey Jere, why’re you leaving me hanging at school today?” Michael asked.

“I faked being sick,” Jeremy answered.

Michael whistled, “Look at you, Jeremy the bad boy, skipping school,”

“Yeah, and I need you to skip too, Mr. Hypocrite,” Jeremy shot back. “Ditch during lunch and get over here!”

“Why?” Michael asked.

“Something happened, something...huge,” Jeremy said, not sure how to phrase it. “Just get over here and I’ll show you.”

“Okay, sure,” He could hear the shrug in Michael’s voice. “Lunchtime is in a bit, so I’ll be over in a few.”

“Awesome, thanks Michael.” Jeremy was about to hang up when he remembered. “By the way, do you have an extra pack of Mountain Dew you could bring?”

Michael scoffed. “Of course I do, I’m not an animal.”

“Great, see you in a bit.”

“See ya, Jeremy.”

“Who was that?”

Jeremy shrieked and jumped three feet in the air. He whirled around to see the alien hovering right over him. “Jesus, don’t do that!” Jeremy exclaimed. “You scared the shit out of me!”

“You are planning to reveal my existence to another human; who is it?” The alien asked, unhindered by the outburst.

“I-It’s just Michael; he’s my best friend, I tell him everything.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” The alien asked.

“I’ve known him almost my whole life, he can keep a secret!”

“You haven’t lived a very long life as of right now, Jeremy,” The alien commented.

Jeremy gave him a look, “Yeah, well-” He blinked. “How did you know my name?!”

“I heard it over your device,” The alien said, pointing to the phone. “Your conversation was quite loud.”

Jeremy flushed slightly and got up, wordlessly going back to his room. The alien followed, face still stoic, and Jeremy flopped onto his bed. He ran his hands over his face, groaning softly in distress. Everything was happening way too fast for him to process and every time he saw that alien, it just reinforced the madness he felt like he was feeling. Jeremy removed his hands only to see the alien’s upside-down face over his. Jeremy yelped and sprang up, the alien standing up straight just in time to avoid their heads colliding. “Would you quit doing that?!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Your lack of planning is quite concerning,” The alien responded. “You seem to be acting as events progress rather than think ahead.”

“Well, I kinda have to; aliens aren’t exactly something you find in your shed every day!” Jeremy retorted.

The alien seemed to mull his words over, “I suppose that’s understandable,” He said. “I am in a situation similar to yours; I was not expecting to be shot down, stranded, and rescued by a child.”

Jeremy frowned, “I’m sixteen.”

“Yes, a child, as I said,” The alien said ignoring Jeremy’s offended squawk. “The most logical step for both our sakes, would be to work together to think up a plan of action.”

Jeremy’s frown still lingered from the child comment, “Well, I guess,” He admitted. “Do you have any ideas, then?”

“I do not,” The alien said Jeremy made a face.

“Seriously? After all that, you don’t know?!”

“I do not have any ideas _yet_ ,” The alien clarified. “It will take a while for this situation to set in and allow me to come up with possible solutions.” The alien stepped towards the window, “My overall objective is to find a way back to my own planet. But with no ship...that may prove difficult.”

“Yeah…” Jeremy agreed. It wasn’t like they could go to NASA and hijack a rocket. Jeremy’s eyes fell on his computer and hurried over to it, booting it up. Maybe, just maybe, there was something online to help get them started.

The alien stood behind Jeremy, eyebrow raised as Jeremy pulled up Google. “Is this how humans obtain information?” He asked.

“Yeah, pretty much,” Jeremy said, typing in the search bar.

Jeremy spent a good while clicking through different articles, pictures, and tried many different searches, but as expected, came up with nothing. “Well, it was worth a try,” Jeremy sighed.

“If there was information on us, it’s likely that information was erased,” The alien said. “Considering that some humans shoot down ships that appear in the atmosphere, I’m not surprised.”

“You’re not gonna let that go, are you?” Jeremy muttered. Just then, the doorbell rang; Michael was here! Jeremy jumped out of his chair and into action. “Okay,” He ran over and opened his closet, “Hide in here until I come get you!”

“Why?” The alien asked.

“I don’t know, it’ll just seem less shady this way,” Jeremy said. “C’mon!” The alien complied and Jeremy closed the door behind him. Jeremy then hurried down the stairs and answered the door.

“Hey, Jere!” Michael greeted.

“Hey,” Jeremy returned, letting his best friend in.

“I got the stuff,” Michael held up the small six pack of Mountain Dew.

“Awesome,” Jeremy said, leading Michael to the kitchen where Jeremy placed the soda before losing one bottle.

“So, you gonna tell me what’s up?” Michael asked as he and Jeremy headed upstairs. “I mean, you fake being sick and then call me over; that’s not like you, not that I’m complaining.”

They stopped as they reached the hallway and Jeremy tightened his grip on the soda bottle; this was it. “I can tell you anything, right?” Jeremy asked, facing Michael. “I can tell you this and you’ll have my back, right?”

Michael smirked, “Who do you think you’re talking to?” He asked.

“Okay…” Jeremy took a deep breath. “Remember the serial killer I heard in my shed?”

Michael made a face, “Dude, this again?”

“Yes, this again; he came back last night,” Jeremy said.

Michael’s face quickly dropped to one of shock, “Dude, are you serious?” He lowered his voice.

Jeremy nodded and began pulling Michael to his room, “C’mon, I have to show you something.” Michael seemed a bit unsure but went along with it. Jeremy brought Michael to his room and shut the door behind them, placing the Mountain Dew on his dresser.

“Okay, so what’s up?” Michael asked.

Jeremy moved in front of Michael, “I’m about to show you something insane,” He said. “You have to swear, as my best friend, my favorite person, that you won’t tell anyone.”

Michael frowned slightly, “Jere, are you okay?”

“Promise you won’t tell, and promise you won’t freak out when I show you,” Jeremy continued, gripping Michael’s shoulders. “Promise.”

“Okay, I promise,” Michael said, concern showing through. “What’s going on?”

“Okay, uh, just turn around for a second,” Jeremy said, spinning Michael around. Jeremy then moved and closed the blinds, making the room a bit darker.

“Should I be concerned?” Michael asked, his back still to Jeremy.

“Uh...I’ll let you be the judge of that,” Jeremy answered, going to his closet and opening the door. The alien exited the closet and Jeremy took his arm, making him stand next to him. “Okay, you can look,” Jeremy said. “And remember, don’t-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Michael said, turning around. “Don’t tell...any...” Michael’s face slowly fell to one of pure shock and disbelief. The alien glanced at Jeremy, the lines on his body glowing better in the darker room. There was a good pause for a few moments.

“Yeah, uh, Michael, this is the serial killer from my shed,” Jeremy said uneasily. “Except...you know, he glows and is actually pretty harmless.” _‘So far…’_ He mentally added. “And he’s an alien.” He verbally tacked on.

“What?!” Michael nearly yelled.

“You said you wouldn’t freak out!” Jeremy protested.

“I am not freaking out, I’m panicking!” Michael retorted glancing between the alien and his friend. “Jeremy, what the actual hell?!”

Jeremy wrung his hands, “Look, i-it’s complicated, okay?!”

“You clearly didn’t think this through, Jeremy,” The alien commented.

“He speaks English?!” Michael yelled, stumbling back a bit, making his back hit the door.

“I am capable of any language in this universe,” The alien said, looking a bit offended. “It’s the first thing we learn when documenting new species; it’s a very simple process.”

Jeremy stepped towards Michael, “Look, it’s okay, he’s not gonna hurt us,” He looked back at the alien. “Uh, you won’t, right?”

“You didn’t think to ask that earlier?!” Michael yelled.

“Of course not!” The alien exclaimed. “You assisted me and so far have not treated me as a threat; there’s no reason for me to harm you.”

“There, see?” Jeremy said. “And besides, all he wants is to go home.”

Michael squinted at the alien, “So he’s not trying to invade us or anything?”

The alien scoffed, “Invasion of planets is a waste of time and resources, and ultimately self-destructive for both sides,” He said. Michael and Jeremy exchanged a glance, seeming to go over the statement in their heads before shrugging at the fair point.

“Look, it’s not like he’s staying here permanently,” Jeremy said. “We’re just gonna try to find a way to get him back where he came from.”

“You just agreed to this now?” Michael asked, clearly still suspicious. “How do you know you can trust him?”

“I don’t know,” Jeremy admitted. “I just...do, okay?”

Michael frowned, “What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know, I just feel it, I don’t know how else to put it!” He glanced back at the alien, “He doesn’t wanna hurt anybody, I know it.” Michael still didn’t look convinced, and Jeremy sighed, “I know, it sounds super weird, but...what are we supposed to do, let him go?” He asked. “You know what happens to aliens when they get caught in movies.”

Michael sighed, “Good point,” He ran a hand through his hair, “God, this whole thing feels like a fucking trip.”

“I know,” Jeremy chuckled slightly. “I’m sure we’ll be fine; we just need to help…” Jeremy blinked and looked at the alien. “Oh yeah, what’s your name?” Michael shot him a look but Jeremy shot down the incoming exclamation (while mentally kicking himself for not wondering earlier).

The alien raised an eyebrow, “Name?”

“Like, what should we call you?” Jeremy clarified.

“You know, to tell you apart from your other alien friends,” Michael added.

“Ah, you’re referring to my designation; every human has a unique and distinct name, despite being part of the same species.” The alien said.

“If I had to guess, you look like an Eric,” Michael commented. “Or maybe a Sal.”

“My kind do not have names of that nature,” The alien said. “We are all the same, and we are all connected; we are all small beings that create one being when brought together.”

“Soooo are you like part of some hivemind?” Michael asked.

“In a sense,” The alien answered. “We still retain some individuality by means of appearance, but we all answer to and share the same goals.”

“What goals?” Jeremy asked.

“To obtain all the information on every being in this universe,” The alien answered. “We are sent to different solar systems and scan every planet from the atmosphere; the process takes about ten minutes when uninterrupted.”

“How were you not seen if you were in the freaking atmosphere?” Michael asked.

“I _was_ seen,” The alien answered, bitterness seeping into his tone.

“His ship got shot down,” Jeremy explained. “He’s technically hiding from the government right now.”

“Whoa…” Michael breathed. “Wait, so is your ship still out there?”

“Of course not; I destroyed it,” The alien said. “It would be far too risky to leave our advanced technology in the hands of such an underdeveloped species as yours.”

“Damn, harsh,” Michael muttered.

“So do you have a name or not?” Jeremy steered the conversation back.

“Of course I do,” The alien said. “While we all share the name of our species, Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor, my individual designation is 1-9-9-9.”

Jeremy and Michael stared at him until Jeremy spoke up. “There’s gotta be something else we can call you,” He said flatly. “I’m not calling you by a number.”

“I am not identified by anything else,” The alien said.

“How about Squip?”

Jeremy and the alien blinked at Michael. “What?”

“Squip,” Michael repeated, “Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor,” He counted off the words with his fingers, “Squip; it’s easier.”

The alien didn’t look too terribly thrilled but Jeremy seemed onboard as he pursed his lips and nodded. “Yeah, sure, why not?” He looked at the alien, “Nice to meet you, Squip.”

“That is not my name.” The alien responded.

“Then think of it as a nickname.” Michael said.

The alien frowned curiously, “Nick...name?”

Jeremy nodded, “Yeah, it’s something people do if their name is too long or hard to remember.”

“And it’s also something buddies do!” Michael added, putting his arm around Jeremy, “Like, I sometimes call Jeremy ‘Jere’ and he calls me Mike.”

Jeremy chuckled, “And since your name is super long-”

“You will call me Squip, which is a combination of letters from my real name,” The alien finished, his face contemplating. “I think I understand.”

Jeremy and Michael glanced at each other, “Great!” Michael said, spreading his arms. There was a moment of silence until Michael broke it again, “By the way, how exactly did you find him?” Michael asked, jerking his thumb at the alien.

Jeremy chuckled, “You’re gonna love this…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're really rolling forward.
> 
> Whew, I can FINALLY stop calling Squip 'the man' or 'the alien'. That was a pain...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy and Michael get to know/play with their new alien friend and try to think of a plan.

A half hour later, Jeremy had finished relaying the story to Michael as the three of them sat in the basement, the newly named Squip watching the two play video games.

“Seriously?” Michael barked out a laugh and glanced back at Squip. “You almost died cause you drank Mountain Dew Red?”

Squip crossed his arms, “I didn’t know it would have such a dire effect on me,” He said indignantly. “The color shouldn’t have made a difference since it was under the same name Mountain Dew, but my hypothesis was wrong.”

“You know, you use a lot of big, smart words,” Jeremy said, eyes glued to the screen as he smashed the buttons. “You said that your kind wants to get information on planets; so does that make you, like, galactic scientists, or something?”

“I suppose that’s one way to put it,” Squip admitted. “We observe all manner of living things on planets, including botany.”

“Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear,” Michael said. “Galactic Botanist.”

Squip turned his attention back to the screen, watching the game go on. “What exactly is the point of this?” He asked. “It doesn’t seem beneficial in any sense.”

“They’re games, they’re just to have fun and relax,” Jeremy said.

“But, if you wanna get technical, video games do improve eye-hand coordination and make you more competitive- take that you son of a bitch!” Michael gave a zombie a headshot.

Squip tilted his head slightly; humans had definitely changed since the last time data was gathered on them. Squip watched the game, taking in every aspect of the beings on the screen, and how Jeremy and Michael’s controllers seemed to affect it. Squip stared hard at the screen and Jeremy found himself focusing as well. His fingers moved a bit faster across the controller as his and Squip’s eyes darted around the screen. Without warning, Jeremy shot down a number of zombies that were sneaking up behind their players with ease.

“Whoa, nice save!” Michael commented.

Jeremy didn’t answer, his eyes still darting around the screen. He felt like he could see and hear every enemy on the screen, shooting all of them down with ease. Michael glanced at him and he frowned in confusion as he looked at Jeremy and Squip, both faces completely stoic and unblinking as they watched the game intensely. In a matter of moments, the enemies were all defeated and the words ‘Level Clear!’ flashed on the screen.

Jeremy blinked and flinched as if snapping out of a trance. His hands were stiff from gripping the controller so tightly, causing him to let go to stretch his fingers.

“Dude, what was that?” Michael asked.

Jeremy blinked at him, “What was what?”

“You were like, off in your own world or something,” Michael said. “Seriously, you were staring a the screen so hard I thought the whole TV was gonna burst into flames!”

Jeremy frowned, “Huh...guess I was just focusing super hard,” He said, missing Squip glancing at him.

“Well, who cares, we finally beat that fucking level!” Michael said, reaching to the side. “This calls for a snack break!” Michael tossed Jeremy and small bag of Cheetos before getting his own.

Jeremy smiled and opened the bag, popping one into his mouth, when his eyes fell on Squip, who was glancing around. “Want one?” Jeremy asked, holding a Cheeto out to him. “I mean, you’ve only drank Mountain Dew since I found you; are you hungry?”

Squip eyed the snack, “I do not require sustenance of this kind.” He said.

“Really?” Michael asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“My kind run solely on the fuel that energizes us,” Squip explained. “We can ingest other objects, but they won’t have any positive or negative effects on us.”

“So you literally live on Mountain Dew,” Michael stated before nudging Jeremy, “That’ll make keeping him here a ton easier.”

Jeremy nodded in agreement, “Well, then just take it anyway,” He said, shaking the Cheeto. “If it can’t do anything to you, then there’s no harm in trying one.” Squip probably accepted Jeremy’s reasoning, because he took the snack and ate it. He chewed and swallowed, his face blank.

“Did you like it?” Jeremy asked.

“I estimated its taste from its appearance and texture, but I must admit, tasting it is a different experience,” Squip answered.

Michael snorted, “If that’s the case, I wonder what would happen if he ate something that threw him off.” Jeremy snorted as well, giving Michael a small whack. After finishing their Cheetos, Jeremy sharing a few more with Squip, they went back to their game. Squip decided to turn his attention away from the game and look around the basement.

“Try not to break anything,” Jeremy called after him, not tearing his eyes from the game. Squip didn’t respond and wandered around a bit, finding himself near the back of the room.

A few moments later, Jeremy and Michael groaned as Game Over flashed on the screen and Squip called out to them. “Jeremy, what exactly is the purpose of this?”

Jeremy and Michael turned around. “Holy shit!” Michael yelled, dropping his controller, as Squip was levitating a small metal dumbbell with his hand. They belonged to Jeremy’s dad, but he never really used them.

“They’re just for exercise,” Jeremy answered Squip’s question. Squip nodded and gently put the dumbbell back where he found it.

“W-What the fu...how did you do that?!” Michael exclaimed.

Squip looked at Michael, “I can manipulate-”

“He has Magneto powers,” Jeremy cut him off.

Michael’s eyes grew wide, “Dude, that’s amazing!” He exclaimed. “What else can you do?”

Squip paused before answering, “I can do one other thing, but it would not be wise to demonstrate here.”

A few moments later, the three stood outside in Jeremy’s back yard, an empty Mountain Dew bottle placed on the ground a yard in front of them. Squip raised his arm and aimed his hand at the bottle. Jeremy and Michael’s eyes widened as his palm started to glow, electrical energy building up behind it. “I would advise you two to take a step back,” Squip warned.

Jeremy and Michael did so and a split second later there was a flash of light. A roar filled the air as a beam of blue energy emerged from Squip’s palm and shot towards the bottle. The beam covered the bottle and then vanished a few seconds later, leaving nothing behind. The bottle had been completely burned out of existence. Michael and Jeremy both stared at the remaining pile of ash, almost in horror.

“Remind me to never piss you off,” Michael said flatly.

“That’s how you destroyed your ship?” Jeremy asked softly, handing the alien a full bottle of Mountain Dew.

“Correct,” Squip said, lowering his arm, the glow fading. “Although destroying something that large used up a good amount of my energy, hence why I resorted to coming to you to find something to recharge.”

Jeremy nodded, remembering the first night Squip had arrived, the day before they officially met. Something then crossed his mind. “Why’d you come back?” He asked.

“Because I was interrupted the night prior, I wasn’t able to get all the energy I needed to last through the next night,” Squip answered, taking a sip of the soda, his circuits becoming a bit brighter. “While it was risky coming back to the same place after you had already seen me, there was a higher risk if I went somewhere unfamiliar, which led me back to you, the only place I knew of where I knew I could find my newly discovered energy source.”

“I never thought I’d meet an alien who gets power from Mountain Dew of all things,” Michael commented. “Then again, I never thought I’d meet alien, period.”

Squip smiled slightly, “I can sympathize to an extent,” He said. “I didn’t think that I would find myself alive, or rather, this well off after crashing on this planet.”

“Why’s that?” Michael asked.

“Our data on Earth is very outdated,” Squip answered. “I know that’s the case after being here for two days.”

“How long has it been since you’ve gotten information here?” Jeremy asked.

Squip thought for a moment, processing the answer, “I estimate it’s been around 2 million years.”

Michael and Jeremy did a double take. “Are you serious?” Jeremy asked incredulously. “Were you even around back then?”

“I wasn’t the one who retrieved the data, but yes, I was,” Squip responded.

“You’re over two million years old?!” Michael nearly yelled.

“Yes, we don’t age like most life forms in the universe,” Squip explained.

“But...but how?” Jeremy squeaked.

Squip looked at him suspiciously, “Do you really want to hear the long and informed history of my species?” He asked. “I doubt I will keep either of your attentions for long.”

“...Fair enough,” Jeremy relented.

“Well in that case, maybe we could give you a head start on your research,” Michael remarked. “You have over 2 million years of stuff to catch up on, and I’m pretty sure only half of it is on the internet!” He started back towards the house, “Plus, I wanna see your reaction to other kinds of food cause there’s some weird stuff out there; this is gonna be hilarious!”

Squip looked at Jeremy, a look on his face that made Jeremy chuckle uneasily. “He’s...excitable,” He said.

“I’ve noticed,” Squip answered dully. Something told the alien that these informational updates were going to be much stranger than their current database had to offer.

* * *

 

Michael didn’t go as overboard on his promises like Jeremy thought he would. Squip tried a few different foods, giving out his thoughts as he did so. After that, they decided to show Squip the TV.

“It’s how people who don’t have the internet get information,” Jeremy explained.

“It also lets people get pissed off at each other over sports or politics,” Michael added, flipping through the channels.

“You’re not gonna show him all the channels, are you?” Jeremy asked.

“How else can he learn about TV stuff?” Michael responded.

“There is a simpler way of doing this,” Squip said, getting up and moving towards the TV.

“What are you doing?” Jeremy asked.

“I can copy and absorb data and information stored in electrical objects,” Squip answered.

“Man, what can’t you do?” Michael remarked.

Squip placed his hand on the top of the TV, and his eyes began to glow, along with his hand. Small bolts of electricity emerged from his hand while the TV screen began rapidly flipping through multiple images until it was impossible to tell what was being shown on the screen. Jeremy and Michael watched in amazement, while Jeremy also hoped that the TV wouldn’t break.

But after a good few seconds, Squip winced and his face became drawn with slight discomfort. Jeremy frowned and winced, suddenly feeling a small headache coming on. Eventually, Squip let go and backed away, the TV screen returning to normal, “That was more information than I was expecting,” Squip remarked, rubbing his head.

Michael frowned, “In that case, you better take it slow when we show you the internet.”

“Maybe that one can wait,” Jeremy suggested, rubbing his head as well.

Eventually, they went back to playing video games, convincing Squip to play with them this time. Squip sat cross legged on the ground, arms folded and eyes glowing as he used his mind to control his character. Squip smiled lightly as Jeremy and Michael sat beside him, cheering at the ease having a third player brought. Squip moved his character smoothly and without any trouble, taking out every enemy that approached him. This was child’s play; it should have been boring, but Squip found that he was...enjoying himself. Squip didn’t quite know what he was feeling; perhaps this was the ‘fun’ Jeremy mentioned that these games provided. Squip pushed his character forward, closer to the goal, when they heard the front door open.

“Jeremy, I’m home!”

Jeremy sucked in a breath, Michael froze, and Squip’s glowing stopped abruptly, their characters stuck on the screen. The zombies devoured their characters and ‘Game Over’ flashed in front of them.

“Shit, it’s Dad!” Jeremy hissed, dropping his controller.

“Fuck!” Michael whispered, slamming the game off.

“Is that the source of your genetic material?” Squip asked.

Jeremy and Michael gave him a look from the word choice, “Yeah, my dad,” Jeremy eventually answered.

“Are you planning on telling him about me?” Squip asked, a hint of concern in his voice.

“What, no way!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Yeah, parents can never know about this kind of thing!” Michael agreed.

Jeremy scrambled for the stairs, “Okay, uh, I’ll distract him, and Michael, you get Squip back upstairs to my room.”

Michael gave him a thumbs up, “Gotcha.”

Jeremy hurried out of the basement and ran to the kitchen where his dad was putting some things on the table, “Hey dad!” He greeted, planting himself in the hallway entrance in front of the basement door.

“Hey, sport!” His dad greeted. “You feeling any better?”

“Oh yeah, tons,” Jeremy said. “Got a good long nap, really helped.” He peeked behind him to see Michael and Squip peeking out of the half open door of the basement.

“Well that’s good to know,” His dad said with a smile. “Must be some bug going around.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Jeremy said.

Squip and Michael hurried out of the basement and clambered up the stairs. “Is someone else here?” Mr. Heere asked, stepping to the side a bit.

“Yeah, just, just Michael,” Jeremy said, quickly blocking his dad’s path. “He...wanted to check on me.”

Right on cue, Michael popped up over the railing on the stairs, Squip nowhere in sight, “Hey, Mr. Heere,” He called with a wave.

“Hey, Michael,” Mr. Heere returned. “You staying for dinner?”

“Not this time, but thanks for the offer,” Michael said before looking at Jeremy. “You wanna finish our game, Jere?” He jerked his head up the stairs.

“Yeah, be right there,” Jeremy said quickly and bolted up the stairs after Michael.

“Dinner in an hour, you two!” Mr. Heere called after them.

Jeremy all but ran into his room after Michael and shut the door, deflating with relief. “That worked out better than I thought it would,” Jeremy admitted.

Michael snorted, “Yeah, in the movies it’s either a super close call or everything goes to shit,” He said.

“How exactly are you planning to keep my existence a secret from your father?” Squip asked, sitting on the edge of Jeremy’s bed.

“Just...keep you hidden, I guess,” Jeremy tried. “I mean, he’s had to work a lot lately, so it’s not like he’s gonna be in the house very much.”

Michael shrugged, “I’d suggest dropping him off with me, but my mom likes to clean the house a lot; she’d find him in five minutes.”

“How long do you think it will take to get you back home?” Jeremy asked.

Squip looked a bit thoughtful, “My quantum processors are still narrowing down the list of possible solutions; but sometime tomorrow I may have the beginnings of a plan that will get me back safely,” He said.

“Okay, good, good,” Jeremy said, deflating in slightly relief. He wasn’t sure how long he would be able to last harboring an alien in his house nor how long he’d be able to handle it.

“Well, guess I better split,” Michael said, heading for the door. “You gonna come to school tomorrow, Jeremy; or do you think you can do two for two with the fake sick thing?”

Jeremy rolled his eyes and lightly whacked him, “Yeah, I’ll come to school.”

“I assume that’s where children get their education,” Squip said.

Michael made a face, “Dude, we’re sixteen.”

“Yes, as I said, children,” Squip responded, making Michael’s jaw drop while Jeremy lightly snorted.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, Michael,” Jeremy said, walking him to the door.

“Call me if he suddenly decides to go rogue on us,” Michael joked, glancing up the stairs. Jeremy rolled his eyes and playfully pushed him out the door.

* * *

 

Jeremy and his dad ate dinner at the table for a change, making small talk as they ate. “By the way, I have some big news,” Mr. Heere eventually said. “Since I’ve been catching up on all the work I’ve been missing, I’m going on a business trip.”

“A business trip?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah, tomorrow actually,” Mr. Heere said with a sheepish smile. “They sprung it on me today so I couldn’t really warn you.”

“How long will you be gone?” Jeremy asked, trying to keep the relief out of his voice. Not that he was thrilled about his dad leaving, but it gave him time to come up with a plan for Squip!

“About a week, maybe a day or two more,” Mr. Heere answered. “But I’ll only be about a three hour drive away, so you can still reach me.”

“Okay, that’s good,” Jeremy nodded.

“Gee, don’t sound so torn up,” Mr. Heere joked.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Hey, I get it; every teenager loves being home alone for a few days,” Mr. Heere said. “Just no wild parties while I’m gone.”

Jeremy snorted, “I don’t think I could pull that off if I tried,” He admitted.

Mr. Heere laughed, “Well, I’m gonna leave tomorrow after work, so I won’t see you after you get home,” He said. “Think you can handle that? I won’t have to call Michael to babysit you, will I?”

“Daaaaad,” Jeremy groaned.

* * *

 

Once dinner was over, Jeremy ran up to his room, finding Squip still sitting patiently on the edge of his bed, face drawn in concentration. “Were you sitting there the whole time?” Jeremy asked.

“The risk of drawing attention was lower if I remained here,” Squip answered. “I have been using this time to determine possible solutions to my being stranded.”

Jeremy blinked, “Oh, well, any luck?”

“No.”

Jeremy frowned, “For a galactic scientist, you take a long time to figure stuff out,” He muttered.

Squip gave him a look, “I apologize, would you rather I choose a solution that involved violence and possibly death for you, Michael, and those who are supposedly after me?”

Jeremy swallowed, suddenly feeling terrified and completely sure that Squip would do such a thing if he could. “Take your time,” He said softly.

Squip gave a small smirk and went back to whatever he was doing. Jeremy took a seat at his desk chair and looked at him, “Soooo, are there any plans that stick out?” He asked. “Preferably ones without the whole violence thing?”

“So far, the most peaceful option is for me to simply live out my life here and simply wait and see if my kind come here in search of me, but that option is near impossible and very unproductive,” Squip answered; Jeremy nodded in agreement. “On the other hand, I could try to build something to contact my species, but with Earth’s limited technology, that may prove difficult.”

“Well, that’s a pretty good start,” Jeremy tried.

Squip got up and wandered to another part of the room, “Yes, but there are still multiple solutions to look through,” He said.

“How long will that take?” Jeremy asked.

“If I continue going over my data now, perhaps in about six hours or so,” Squip answered.

Jeremy frowned, “Don’t you need sleep?” He asked.

“Sleep is not terribly necessary to me as it is to humans,” Squip said. Okay, that made sense; this was an alien that lived only off Mountain Dew, after all.

“Well, okay, as long as you don’t...I don’t know, overheat or anything,” Jeremy said.

“I’m not a machine, Jeremy,” Squip said.

Jeremy pursed his lips, “Are you sure? You don’t need to eat or sleep, kinda like a robot.”

“I am not a machine, Jeremy,” Squip repeated dangerously.

Jeremy chuckled and held up his hands, “Okay, okay, whatever you say.” He said. “That could be a good cover up if someone sees you, though.”

Squip gave him a look, “I doubt that will make anyone’s reaction to me any better.”

Jeremy shrugged. “Hey, you never know.”

“Jeremy?” Jeremy jumped, shoved Squip unceremoniously into the closet and shut the door just as his dad peeked in. “You talking to yourself?”

“I, uh…” Jeremy pressed his back against the closet door, praying that the glowing couldn’t be seen through the door. “Yeah...guess I am.” Jeremy kept a poker face and his dad shrugged and closed the door. Jeremy deflated in relief and slid down to the ground; thank god his dad was gonna be gone for a week. There was no way he’d be able to handle this kind of stress for multiple days.

Jeremy heard shuffling from inside the closet and Jeremy got up and opened the closet door. Squip was on the ground from the hard shove, a few things having fallen over from the rough assault.

Jeremy chuckled nervously as Squip glared at him, “Sorry about that.” He held out a hand to help him up. Squip looked at it and frowned in confusion. “I’m helping you stand up,” Jeremy said.

Squip’s frown faded and he slowly took Jeremy’s hand, allowing him to be pulled up. “I certainly hope this isn’t a regular occurrence,” Squip said, lowering his voice.

“Uh, no, it won’t,” Jeremy said sheepishly, also keeping his voice down. “I just found out my dad’s going on a business trip tomorrow so he’ll be gone for a week.”

Squip raised his eyebrows, “That narrows down the list of possible solutions by a great amount.”

Jeremy blinked, “Oh, huh...well, that’s good,” Jeremy said, not wanting to ask what those now deleted solutions entailed.

“Jeremy!”

Jeremy jumped and instinctively moved to shove Squip back into the closet, but the alien stepped out of the way, causing him to topple right onto his stomach. “Uh, y-yeah?” Jeremy responded, after realizing how far away his dad sounded. He wasn’t gonna come in his room.

“Shower’s all yours; I’m gonna pack before I take mine!” Mr. Heere called.

“Oh, uh, okay!” Jeremy responded, getting to a sitting position. His dad said nothing more. A glowing hand then appeared in front of Jeremy’s face and Jeremy looked up to see Squip. Jeremy smiled and took it, Squip pulling him to his feet, “Fast learner,” He joked.

“I am still unsure whether to find your comments endearing or offensive,” Squip remarked.

“Sheesh, someone can’t take a joke,” Jeremy muttered. He started heading for the door when something crossed his mind. “Uh...do you ever stop glowing?” Jeremy asked.

“If my circuits aren’t glowing that means I’m dead,” Squip answered flatly.

“Okay, then,” Jeremy said. “Well, you’re probably better off staying in my closet so it doesn’t look like my room is radioactive.” Squip shrugged in response and Jeremy headed for the door, “Uh, be right back; stay out of sight, okay?”

“Very well.” Squip nodded.

Jeremy left to quickly shower and brush his teeth, his dad packing in his own room. Jeremy went back to his room only to see that Squip was nowhere to be found, save for a soft glow coming from his closet. Jeremy walked up and looked inside; Squip was propped against the wall, arms crossed and head down. His eyes were closed and his circuits were blinking softly. It almost reminded Jeremy of when something was plugged in and recharging.

Jeremy smiled and quietly shut the closet door, relieved that the glow barely lit up his now darkened bedroom through the closet. Jeremy crawled into bed and stared at the soft glow coming from his closet until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright *rubs hands together* now that we got Jeremy's dad out of the way, we can start more alien stuff! (I love you Mr. Heere, but you know the rules; parents can't be around for alien stuff)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squip tries to figure out a plan and Jeremy goes through some head pains.

Jeremy woke up to his alarm the next morning. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with a yawn, seeing the faint glow still coming from the closet despite the morning light. Jeremy got up, slipped his shirt over his head and looked at his computer for a moment, but then decided against it. Having someone in your closet limited the things you could do in your room alone. Jeremy got the rest of his clothes on and whether by coincidence or by luck, Squip chose then to exit from his hiding place.

“Uh, morning,” Jeremy said awkwardly.

“Good morning,” Squip returned. Jeremy nodded and went to his door, peeking out to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, Jeremy made sure his bedroom door was closed and started his usual morning routine (saying goodbye to his dad ahead of time, since he wouldn’t see him after school).

Right before he left to catch the bus, Jeremy hurried back to his room where Squip was patiently waiting, “Okay, I gotta get to school,” He said, handing Squip some Mountain Dew he remembered to grab from downstairs. “Stay in here until my dad leaves, okay?”

“Understood,” Squip answered.

“Okay, I’ll be back soon,” Jeremy said; he felt like he was reassuring a dog or something. “Just stay inside and...don’t break anything.” Squip gave him a look and Jeremy headed out the door with a “See ya”.

Squip moved to the window and watched as Jeremy walked a little ways down the sidewalk and got onto a large yellow vehicle that was waiting for him. Squip watched the vehicle drive away and he turned to face the empty room. About ten minutes later, Squip heard a sound and glanced out the window to see another vehicle pull away from the house. Jeremy’s dad was gone.

Squip supposed he should spend the day going through those solutions of how to get back to his planet. Although, before that, there was something he had been meaning to investigate. Squip went back to Jeremy’s room and sat on his bed, closing his eyes and concentrating.

* * *

 

The bus ride to school was uneventful, and Jeremy met up with Michael before class started. “How’s the alien?” Michael whispered after their initial greeting.

“At home, probably doing nothing,” Jeremy said. “Or thinking up a way for him to get home.”

“What are you gonna do about your dad?” Michael asked.

“Turns out he’s leaving today for a business trip for a week,” Jeremy said. “So we have until then to get Squip home.”

“Nice, that’s lucky!” Michael said. “That’ll make this whole thing way less stressful than the movies!”

_‘Move to your left,’_

Jeremy blinked as a voice echoed through his head. He stepped to the left and an instant later, Rich went zooming past him, plowing through any unlucky soul who got in his way. “That was close…” Jeremy muttered.

“Yeah; Rich really needs to stop with the candy in the morning,” Michael agreed. The warning bell then rang and Jeremy and Michael hurried to class, Jeremy shoving his thoughts back about how he knew to move when he did.

* * *

 

Back at Jeremy’s house, Squip had been mulling over his solution on how to get back home. He had finally narrowed it down to a reasonable number. Now he just needed more information to figure out which plan would be the best to put into action.

Squip wandered back into Jeremy’s room and his eyes fell on the teen’s computer. Jeremy had said that this internet was how humans got most of their information. Perhaps it held more than what the television held. Squip placed his hand on Jeremy’s computer monitor, and data began to pour into his system.

* * *

 

Jeremy lay heavily on his hand as his English teacher droned on and on. This class always seemed to last an ice age, and Jeremy was sure it was because his teacher’s voice had a negative effect on time itself. Jeremy then winced as a sharp pain entered his head. Seconds later, his temples started to throb terribly, making his face scrunch up in discomfort. A moment later, Jeremy’s head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, like it was going to split open or something. Jeremy leaned on his elbows and tried massaging his head but it did no good. _‘What the hell…? What’s wrong with me?’_

 _‘Relax Jeremy, there is nothing wrong with you, I’ve simply taken in too much information,’_ A familiar voice said. _‘A moment while I organize and delete the necessary files.’_

Jeremy softly moaned and lay his head on his desk, and slowly but surely, the pain in his head went away. “Thank god…” He sighed softly.

_‘I apologize for the mild discomfort, Jeremy.’_

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, Squip,” Jeremy whispered. He blinked, “Squip?” Jeremy suddenly sat up straight and at attention, drawing a few eyes for a few seconds.

“Well, Mr. Heere,” His teacher spoke to him. “You seem very interested in the lesson; perhaps you could tell us the name of John Keats’ most famous sonnet?”

Jeremy felt his whole face turn red, “Um, uh, I-”

_‘The Eve of St. Agnes.’_

Jeremy blinked, “Uh...The Eve of St. Agnes?” He said slowly.

To his relief, the teacher smiled, “Very good, Jeremy; now as I was saying…”

Jeremy tuned out the rest of the lecture and his eyes darted around urgently. “Squip?” Jeremy whispered. “Is that you?”

 _‘Yes it is, Jeremy,’_ Squip’s voice came through.

Jeremy opened his mouth to yell when he remembered that he was in class, and he lowered his head. “What the hell, what are you doing?!” He whisper yelled. “Where are you, did you follow me to school?!”

 _‘I’m not here, I’m in your room speaking to you mentally,’_ Squip said. _‘So you don’t have to speak out loud; just speak to me in your mind.’_

 _‘Oooh, like telepathy!’_ Jeremy thought. _‘Wait, shit, you just heard that, didn’t you?’_

_‘Yes, I did.’_

_‘Okay…’_ Jeremy flushed a little red then went back to panicking. _‘What the hell is going on here? Are you inside my head or something?!’_

 _‘No, it seems our minds are synchronized,’_ Squip said.

_‘How is that any different?!’_

_‘The difference being that this event only occurs temporarily and on command.’_ Squip answered. _‘My species sync with one another frequently to exchange information, however, it usually doesn’t last this long.’_

 _‘What do you mean?’_ Jeremy asked fearfully.

 _‘Your teacher is talking, pay attention to your class,’_  Squip instructed. _‘We will discuss this later, in person.’_

_‘H-How do you know-’_

_‘Class, Jeremy,'_ Squip said firmly. _‘As I said, we will talk later; focus.’_

Jeremy slowly raised his head, his hands shaking from fear and confusion. Michael noticed from his seat in the classroom and was sure to head straight for Jeremy in the hallway when the bell rang. “You okay?” He asked.

“No,” Jeremy breathed, still shaking slightly, “Squip’s in my head.”

Michael frowned, “Huh?”

“I can hear Squip in my head, he talked to me!” Jeremy said frantically. “He, he said our minds are connected or something and it’s freaking me out!”

“Okay, okay, calm down!” Michael exclaimed, gripping Jeremy’s shoulders. “Look, we just have one more class to go, then we’ll just go straight to your place and figure this out, okay?” Jeremy took a deep breath and nodded.

“Hey, Jeremy, Michael!” The two turned to see none other than Christine hurrying towards them, the usual spring in her step.

“Hey, Christine,” Jeremy greeted.

“What’s up?” Michael asked.

“Well, Jeremy, I was just wondering if you wanted to start working on our project after school today,” Christine said.

Jeremy blinked; he had completely forgotten! Their Drama class project! “Oh yeah, man, I totally forgot about it!” Jeremy said sheepishly.

Christine giggles, “It’s okay, I kinda did too,” She said. “So, how about it? I can come over at, like, three or something, if that’s okay.”

Jeremy bit his lip and wrung his hands; would it be okay to have Christine over? _‘This may have a high risk of my existence being revealed.’_

Jeremy barely stopped himself from flinching. _‘Quit it, you’re freaking me out!’_ He growled.

_‘I am trying to help, Jeremy.’_

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Jeremy said quickly, Michael looking at him in surprise. “Just...come over when you feel like it.”

“Awesome!” Christine chirped. “See you then!” And she hurried off on her way.

Once she was gone, Michael whacked Jeremy’s shoulder, “What the hell man? Did you already forget about the fucking alien in your house?”

Jeremy shook his head, “As long as he stays hidden it’ll be fine; I’ll just keep her downstairs or something.”

_‘There is still room for error, Jeremy.’_

“Shut up!” Michael flinched and Jeremy softened. “Not you, just…” He gestured to his head. “Not used to having a real voice in my head…”

“Maybe we should just ditch last period and get you home,” Michael suggested.

“No, I’m fine,” Jeremy said. “As long as he stays quiet, I’ll be fine.”

_‘...If that is your request, Jeremy.’_

Thankfully, the last of the school day flew by, and Squip held up his promise of not talking in Jeremy’s head. However, he still felt dizzy throughout the day, making it nearly impossible to concentrate. Once the final bell rang, Jeremy all but ran out of the school, meeting Michael by his car, and they drove straight to Jeremy’s house.

Jeremy and Michael didn’t even bother greeting the alien as they hurried into his room and shut the door, despite there being no danger of being discovered. “Alright, what’s going on?” Jeremy asked.

“It’s called Mind Synchronization,” Squip said.

Jeremy blinked, “What?” He wasn’t expecting an answer that easily.

“Our minds are linked, allowing us to see one another's memories and hear our thoughts, and it also seems that this particular link runs very deep since I can see through your eyes and you can feel my emotions,” Squip explained. “As I told you earlier, my kind does it often; the basic function is to exchange information. This is done through memories, as remembering things is how living things learn.”

Jeremy nodded, “Okay...wait, is that how I knew to give you the Mountain Dew back when you were dying in my shed? When you grabbed my head?”

Squip nodded, “I gave you instructions through my own data, specifically the first night I came to your house and I discovered that Mountain Dew was capable of giving me energy.”

“That explains why you were glaring down the TV yesterday…” Michael couldn’t help but mutter.

“Okay, so, then can you stop? Syncing with me, or whatever?” Jeremy asked. “Having you in my head is kinda creepy.”

“I...am unsure,” Squip responded.

“W-What do you mean?!”

“Mind Synchronization only lasts as long as needed to exchange the proper information, and connections at this level are very rarely used; it seems that our connection is lingering, despite my need to sync with you only needing to last a few minutes back when we first met,” Squip explained. “It could be that since I was near death it affected the link, or it could be the fact that you are a human.”

“Are you sure?” Jeremy asked.

"As I said, in my experience, Mind Synchronization has never lasted this long before, so no, I don’t know when or if it will stop,” Squip said.

Jeremy rubbed his head, “Okay, we’re gonna have to set up some ground rules for this,” He said. “Like no doing stuff that gives me a headache or talking to me without warning.”

Squip rolled his eyes, “I cannot help that my simple actions affect you so drastically.”

Michael whistled, “Damn, someone’s learned how to talk back.”

“What did you do that hurt my head so much?” Jeremy demanded.

“I was absorbing more information to help me find a solution to my predicament,” Squip answered. “I thought that the so-called ‘internet’ would help speed things along.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened, “Wait so you-”

“You tried to absorb the whole internet?!” Michael exclaimed.

“It was a mistake on my part; I should have hypothesized that it would have too much information for me to handle, similar with the television,” Squip said.

“Is that why I felt dizzy all day?” Jeremy exclaimed. “Were you still trying to absorb the internet after that?!”

“I copied the data as slowly as possible to try and not affect you,” Squip retorted. “I apologize that I was unable to keep our supposed connection from affecting you, but I wasn’t about to waste my time doing nothing just because you got a little headache.”

“Well, it freaking hurt!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Okay, c’mon, break it up!” Michael said, stepping between them. “The important thing here is that Jeremy didn’t get a migraine and Squip was able to get shit done, so let’s just calm down and start over, okay?”

Jeremy sighed, “Okay fine; so yeah, any progress on how to get you home?”

“Yes, in fact,” Squip said. “I have finally decided on a course of action.”

“Really?” Michael asked.  

Squip nodded and walked over to Jeremy’s computer, “I believe this planet has technology I can use to make a functioning signal,” Squip said, touching the screen and pulling up multiple pages.

Jeremy sat down, and clicked through them, eyeing multiple electronic parts that he had never heard of. “Wow, how did you find all this stuff?” Michael stood behind him and gazed at the parts as well.

“While almost half of the internet’s findings were of no use to me, it was quite helpful in locating all of my needed supplies,” Squip responded. “And I even simplified it by making sure all of these items were available at a close distance to you.”

“Good to know,” Michael commented.

“And you can build this?” Jeremy asked, looking at Squip.

“Yes,” Squip nodded. “And with it, I’ll be able to send a message to my own kind, telling them of my situation and to send transportation back to my home.”

Jeremy and Michael exchanged a happy glance. “Awesome!” Jeremy exclaimed. “And you’re sure it will work?”

“Of course I am,” Squip said, giving them a look.

Jeremy looked back through the pages, “This is a lot stuff we gotta get,” He mused.

“Yeah, but it looks like all this stuff is pretty cheap if we buy used parts.” Michael said. Jeremy nodded; now they just had to find out just how cheap this whole thing could be.

Jeremy printed off the pictures and prices of the parts and brought them downstairs with Michael and Squip. They spread them out across the kitchen table, jotting down the prices and locations to find them, as well as the few tools that Jeremy or Michael had at their houses. They were almost finished when there was a knock at the door, making them flinch.

“Who could that be?” Jeremy asked when he tensed. “Oh god, is it Christine?!”

Michael face-palmed, “No, it’s E.T., of course it’s Christine!” He yelled.

Jeremy turned to Squip, “Upstairs, closet, quick!” Squip nodded and followed Jeremy towards the door before breaking off to hurry up the stairs.

Jeremy opened the door and Christine waved happily, her backpack still on her back. “Hi Jeremy!” She greeted before she blinked, “Oh, I didn’t come at a bad time, did I?”

“No! No, you’re fine!” Jeremy said, letting her in. “Michael and I were just…” He glanced back at the kitchen where Michael was gathering up the pictures and notes. “Doing our other homework.”

Christine deflated slightly in relief, “That’s good; I’m really excited about this project, you know?” She said. “I’ve already come up with a few ideas we could go over.”

“Yeah, sure, sounds great,” Jeremy said. “I just need to finish something with Michael first before we can start.”

He started back towards Michael, missing Christine nodding, “Okay; I’ll just wait for you upstairs.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Jeremy said absently, waving his hand, still not looking at her.

Christine trotted up the stairs and peeked around until she found Jeremy’s room. She felt a surge of excitement as she had never been in Jeremy’s room before. She absently wondered what kind of things Jeremy had. _‘No!’_ She chided herself. _‘We don’t snoop in other people’s rooms!’_ As she thought that, she thought she heard something.

Christine turned around to see a door that she assumed was Jeremy’s closet. She squinted slightly and noticed a dim light coming from under the door. Christine shrugged; it was probably just a faulty lightbulb or something. Whatever it was, it was Jeremy’s business. Christine put down her backpack and pulled out her needed supplies, but her gaze slowly went back to the closet.

Christine softly whined as her curiosity began to gnaw relentlessly at her. Finally she decided, “Weeeell...I’m sure a teensy weensy peek won’t hurt.”

And with that, she ran over and threw open the closet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christine joins the team, adding her own special touch.

A high pitched scream rang through the house causing the two boys to jump in the air. However, Jeremy jumped mostly because his head was filled with the equivalent of alarm bells; that could only mean one thing.

“Shit, Christine!”

Jeremy and Michael bolted up to Jeremy’s room and burst through the door. Christine was pressed against Jeremy’s bed, shivering like crazy and staring in horror at Jeremy’s closet. Michael ran to Christine’s side to try and calm her down while Jeremy ran to the closet. Squip was pressed against the wall, in a similar position to Christine’s, his eyes wide with alarm and fear.

“It’s okay,” Jeremy wasn’t sure if he was directing it at Squip or Christine. “It’s okay, just calm down!”

“Jeremy, why is there a glowing guy in your closet?!” Christine cried, clinging to nearest person which happened to be Michael.

“It’s a long story,” Michael said, wincing a bit from her tight hold.

“He’s not gonna hurt you!” Jeremy said quickly with a glance her way before facing the Squip again to coax him out.

“Michael, what is going on?!” Christine hissed as Michael hauled her to her feet.

“Basically, the serial killer Jeremy thought he heard in his shed turned out to be an alien from outer space,” Michael said. Jeremy and Squip looked at Michael in shock. “What? She’s already seen him, no point in hiding the rest,” Michael defended. Jeremy shook his head and helped Squip up, leading him out of the closet. “But yeah, Jeremy’s right,” Michael went on, looking at Christine, “He’s not gonna hurt you.”

“Really?” Christine asked.

Jeremy nodded, “I promise, he’s harmless.” Christine slowly let go of Michael and looked right at Squip. Jeremy kept a hand on Squip’s arm as Christine slowly walked towards them, not taking her wide eyes off the alien.

“Christine, this is Squip,” Jeremy said. “Michael and I are helping him get back home.”

A small smile pulled at Christine’s face, “Squip?”

“It’s a nickname,” Michael supplied.

Christine continued staring at Squip, the alien fidgeting a bit under her gaze, when she cringed and made a face. “Bleeeergh!”

Squip took a step back and Christine burst into giggles, “Sorry, my brain’s just like ‘bzzzt!’ right now, I didn’t know what else to say.” She said. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you Squip, I’m Christine! Sorry for screaming at you, that was actually really rude now that I think about it, I hope I didn’t make too bad a first impression!”

“Leave it to Christine to smash the ice when it refuses to break,” Michael chuckled.

“I thought Michael was the excitable one,” Squip said softly, looking a bit overwhelmed. Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“Are you really an alien?” Christine asked. “That glowy stuff isn’t just some really advanced make-up or stage prop?”

“Yeah, I checked,” Jeremy said.

“He also has Magneto powers and can blow shit up with his bare hands, so there’s that,” Michael added.

Christine’s eyes grew wide and seemed to sparkle, “Ooooh, can I see? Please?”

Michael grinned and took out his phone, “Here, knock yourself out,” He tossed his phone towards Squip and the aliens eyes glowed on instinct. The phone stopped in mid air before Squip directed it back to Michael while Christine squealed loudly.

“Wow, this is too cool! I’m so glad I decided to look in your closet without asking! Not that I would do that on a regular basis but it was glowing inside and I couldn’t help it!”

“It’s fine, Christine,” Jeremy said. “It’s fine as long as you don’t tell anyone about Squip.”

Christine blinked, snapping out of her excited stupor, “Like, not tell _any_ anyone?”

Jeremy nodded, “His ship got shot down and there are probably guys out there looking for him, so we have to keep him hidden until we get him home.”

Christine nodded, a determined look on her face, “Okay, I promise; I swear on my love for all things theater, I won’t tell a soul!”

Jeremy smiled in relief, “Thanks, Chris.”

Squip still looked a bit unsure and overwhelmed by all that had taken place, _‘Jeremy,’_

Jeremy blinked at felt a gentle poke in his head followed by Squip’s voice. It felt less intrusive than last time, so Jeremy decided to try responding. _‘Yeah?’_

 _‘Are you sure we can trust her word?’_ Squip asked. _‘With how energetic she is, her skills in speaking her mind seem quite tactless.’_

 _‘Christine can be serious when the time comes,’_ Jeremy reassured. _‘Plus, her love for theater is outmatched, so she definitely means it.’_

“Jeremy, you’re staring into space,” Michael said.

Jeremy blinked, “Oh, sorry, Squip was just, ah…” He gestured to his head.

“He was just what?” Christine asked innocently.

“We just found out that Jeremy and Squip have some weird mind connection,” Michael said.

“Mind Synchronization,” Squip corrected.

Christine gasped, “Does that they can read each other’s minds or something?”

“Pretty much,” Jeremy shrugged.

“That is so cool! Jeremy, you’re so lucky, I wish I had a special mind connection with someone!” Christine gushed.

“It...has its ups and downs, I guess,” Jeremy admitted.

“Okay, forget the project; well, not really, we’ll still have to do it eventually, but forget it!” Christine said, brimming with energy. “Tell me everything!”

Michael exchanged a glance with Jeremy, “Everything?”

“Everything! How am I supposed to help if I don’t know everything that’s happened?” Christine responded.

Jeremy and Squip blinked, “You wanna help us?” Jeremy asked.

“Well, duh!” Christine said. “You said he was stranded! Nothing’s worse than being stranded from your home! Well, I think nothing’s worse than that, but anything worse than that is probably not even possible!”

“Something tells me you’re not gonna take no for an answer,” Michael remarked.

“Oh Michael, you know me so well!” Christine chirped. She then promptly crossed her legs and sat down on the floor, “Now spill.”

Michael shook his head, "You've been hanging around Jenna too much."

Squip still seemed a bit unsure, but Jeremy patted his arm, _‘It’ll be okay,’_ He tried speaking through his mind.

Squip was silent, but Jeremy then felt a wave of calmness gently sweep over him. _‘Your actions have not led me astray yet, Jeremy, so I will trust you.’_

Jeremy smiled and led Squip over and they sat down across from Christine, while Michael sat next to them, making a circle. “Okay, so here’s what we have so far…”

* * *

 

As Jeremy and Michael, and occasionally Squip, relayed the past few days, Christine was listening with the most integrity Jeremy had ever seen. When Christine was passionate about something, she went all out. She only spoke when she had a quick question.

When they were done explaining, Christine’s determined face was back with a vengeance, “Okay, what can I do to help?”

Michael brought out their compiled list of supplies and prices, “Well, as your first task of our little alien group, why don’t you help us figure out the grand total of all this junk we need?”

The group of four all gathered closer as they went over everything on their list. “Looks like the grand total comes out to…” Christine hissed, “Four hundred dollars; yikes.”

“Man, I don’t think drugs even cost that much,” Michael agreed.

“Yeah, but we can do it,” Jeremy said.

“How?” Christine asked. “Even if we pooled our money, it would take a while.”

“I have a bunch of money from my bar mitzvah,” Jeremy said.

Michael frowned, “How much is a bunch?” He asked.

Jeremy looked a bit sheepish, “Uh...like six hundred,” He said.

“Jeremy!” Christine gasped.

“I know, I know, I’ve been saving it,” Jeremy said quickly. “Like for an emergency or something; but it's not a big deal, we can dig into it.”

Squip frowned slightly, “Jeremy, I don’t...uh…”

“What?” Jeremy asked.

“I...I don’t…” Squip struggled. “I don’t know…”

“What? Just spit it out, man,” Michael said.

Squip steeled himself slightly, “I don’t know...how I feel about Jeremy spending that kind of money to help me.”

Jeremy almost sighed in relief, “That’s it? I thought something was wrong,” He said.

“Bar mitzvahs are very special events, from what I’ve learned so far,” Squip said. “You...you shouldn’t sacrifice that for my sake.”

Jeremy couldn’t help but feel a bit touched, “Thanks, Squip, that means a lot,” He said, Christine softly saying ‘Awwww!’ under his words. “But it’s okay, really.”

“And besides, we’re not gonna let him spend all of it,” Michael piped up. “We’re gonna pitch in too.”

“Yeah! We all have money we can spend!” Christine agreed.

Squip’s expression became surprised and slightly touched, “Are you certain?” He asked. “I can always choose another solution.”

“We’re certain,” Jeremy said firmly. “We’re doing this because we want to, right?”

“Totally,” Michael agreed.

“Absolutely,” Christine added.

Squip honestly had no words, “T...Thank you,” He said quietly.

Christine giggled at the slight concern and guilt on Squip’s face, “Aw, don’t worry, it’ll all work out.” She reached out and gently rubbed Squip’s head.

Squip made a face and squirmed away a bit, “What was the purpose of that?”

Christine blinked, “Uh...I never really thought about it,” She admitted, lowering her hand. “I guess I just do it when I want to tell someone that it’ll be okay; by the way, your hair is really soft.” She tacked on.

Squip frowned, “Out of everything I’ve learned from being here, the way humans show affection is the strangest.”

Michael shrugged, “Emotions are messy things, especially love.”

“Has no one ever loved you before?” Christine asked. Squip raised an eyebrow so Christine rephrased it, “I mean, has anyone ever cared about you? Do you have friends other than us?”

“Emotions do not dictate our actions like humans,” Squip said. “We act based on circumstances and which is the most efficient solution.”

Christine’s face fell, “So...is that a no?” She asked sadly. “You’ve never had a friend before?”

Michael and Jeremy caught on and their faces became concerned too. “Wait, so this hivemind you’re part of doesn’t even care about its subjects?” Michael asked.

“Of course it does,” Squip says. “Each and every one of us serves a purpose and we are all connected; when one goes missing, it is only logical to get them back.”

“Logic shouldn’t matter!” Christine countered. “Someone back on your planet has to be worried about you! Not about the hivemind or anything, just worried about _you!”_

Squip frowned, “I...I don’t understand.”

“I think what she means is, your kind shouldn’t come get you because they have to,” Jeremy said. “They should come get you because they want to, because they want you back, and not just because you’re a part of the hivemind.”

“What would happen if they couldn’t get you back?” Michael asked. “Like if there was somehow absolutely no way to get you back?”

“That’s impossible,” Squip said.

“It’s a hypothetical questions, dude,” Michael said. “Just humor us a bit; if it was impossible or just really, really difficult for your aliens buddies to come get you, what would they do?”

“Then the hive would simply adapt and change to my absence,” Squip answered, way too easily. The three stared at him, with a mixture of shock, horror, and pity in their gazes.

“I can see that my species way of thinking is controversial compared to your own, even though that’s quite ironic considering your history, but that doesn’t change the fact that I must find a way back home,” Squip said. “Being on this planet in my current state is very dangerous, and I’m only alive because of Jeremy; while I understand your concerns for me, I certainly hope that you will still assist me...because you want to.”

Christine suddenly moved and threw her arms around Squip’s neck, making the alien freeze completely. “Then we’ll show you first hand what it’s like to have someone care about you,” Christine said. Squip blinked, and Jeremy leaned back a bit, feeling a bit dizzy.

“Christine, I think you’re short-circuiting him,” Michael said, noticing Jeremy’s discomfort.

Christine glanced at Jeremy, “Oh!” She pulled away. “Mind link; right.” Squip still looked a bit dazed, and his circuits seemed to be glowing a bit, emanating a bit of warmth. “Hey...are you blushing?” Christine asked with a grin, feeling the warmth.

Squip blinked, “I...I don’t…”

“Squip, c’mon, get it together!” Jeremy exclaimed, holding his head. “I feel like I just got off a Tilt-A-Whirl!”

“I don’t know how to process affection!” Squip said indignantly.

“Well, that was called a hug,” Christine said. “That’s what you do to make someone feel better or to show you care.”

Michael patted Squip’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, we’ll help you through it, especially if it keeps Jeremy from puking.” Squip glanced at Jeremy, who was starting to look a bit green and quickly composed himself, clearing his mind and processing what he could. Jeremy took some deep breaths, and the green shade went away.

“Okay, now that everyone’s back,” Michael said. “How about we start getting all this stuff?”

“Let’s do it!” Christine cheered looking at Squip happily. “With the three of us, you’ll get home in no time!”

Jeremy glanced at Squip, looking much more at ease than he had since they first met; maybe having Christine help them wouldn’t be so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Christine, you are too good for this sinful Earth. 
> 
> Also Flustered!Squip X3c


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The signal is built, and a message is sent. Now they just have to hope the message is received by the right people...

The rest of the day, Jeremy, Michael, and Christine went on the equivalent of a shopping spree for the needed items. Squip stayed at the house, waiting patiently for them until they returned late that evening where they proceeded to go over what they had so far. 

They only got a handful of the items, but they agreed that after school tomorrow they could all go out again and get the rest. Christine and Michael bade them farewell and left for home, leaving Jeremy and Squip alone. It was quite late by that point, so they decided to head to bed. 

“Night, Squip,” Jeremy yawned as he crawled into his bed. 

Squip paused while closing the closet door, “...Good night, Jeremy.” He closed the closer door and settled as Jeremy’s room became dark. Jeremy quickly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 

_ Jeremy was surrounded by stars. He was sitting among them, so close he felt like he could reach out and touch one. A glowing object lay below him, but Jeremy hardly noticed, too distracted by the stars around him. It was peaceful and beautiful; and it was all Jeremy could want.  _

_ But that peace was quickly interrupted by a loud bang, making Jeremy shake dangerously. Something was wrong; what hit him? What was-  _

_ There was another bang, followed by a blast of heat. Jeremy yelped as he felt a thorn of pain in his side. He felt himself tip downward and start to fall. He tried desperately to right himself, but the pain was too great and he couldn’t move.  _

_ He was going down! He was going to crash! He was going to die! Jeremy screamed as the ground got closer and closer and-  _

“Jeremy; Jeremy!” 

Jeremy’s eyes flew open, only to shut right away again from the sudden light right over him. Jeremy felt two hands holding his shoulders and he slowly opened them again. He blinked a few times when he recognized the glow of Squip, who was standing over him, worry on his face. “S-Squip?” He croaked. 

“Yes, it’s me, Jeremy,” Squip said. “You were moving quite violently in your sleep.” 

Jeremy blinked and registered his tangled sheets and the sweat beading his forehead. “Did I wake you?” He asked. 

“No, I simply felt your distress through our connection, prompting me to check on you,” Squip said. Jeremy nodded and looked away, his heart still pounding. His hand went to his side where he thought he felt a throb of pain but found no injury. 

“Are you alright, Jeremy?” Squip asked, growing concerned. “Why are you so frightened? Are you injured in some way?” 

“No, it…” Jeremy pulled his hand away and rubbed his face, “It was just a, a dream,” 

“Dream?” Squip asked.

“It’s like...something that happens when you sleep,” Jeremy said. “I don’t really know how to explain it, they just kinda happen, and sometimes they can get...scary.” 

Squip sat on the edge of Jeremy’s bed, “What happened in your dream?” He asked. “Was it frightening?” 

“Not at first; I...I was flying…” Jeremy said slowly. “Then I just...I started falling...I couldn’t stop, I...I was so scared…” 

Squip's eyes widened for a second and then he frowned in concern, “It...it seems that our connection is deeper than I thought,” He said. “Your consciousness made the link slip into my own subconscious to relive a memory.” 

“Memory…” Jeremy blinked. “Wait, did...did I just see you crash?” 

“Most likely,” Squip said softly, looking away. 

“Jesus…” Jeremy whispered, running a hand through his hair. He looked at Squip and noticed that his fist was clenched tightly and seemed to be shaking. Jeremy slowly reached out and touched Squip’s shoulder. “Was that you I felt?” Jeremy asked, “Were you...scared back then?” 

“...I was,” Squip whispered. “Not just because of the crash but, because of the feeling in general; none of my kind had ever been shot down before, I was completely at a loss for how to process the event.” Jeremy moved to sit next to him, keeping his hand on his shoulder.

“After I crashed and I escaped from those pursuing me...it got worse,” Squip went on softly. “My ship was gone, I had no way to communicate, and my energy was fading, leaving me weak and defenseless. I had never felt fear before, and feeling it back then just made me feel even more fear. It was a terrible cycle that just kept going.” 

“Squip…” 

“I even felt fear back when we first met,” Squip said. “Not just when you almost saw me, but when I drank the Mountain Dew Red. That was closest to death I had ever come, and I remember thinking that I didn’t want to die.” Squip looked at Jeremy. “When I saw you, I felt so many more emotions that I had never experienced, so many I can’t possibly list them all. It was...so overwhelming; I had never felt so...so powerless before…” 

Squip was shaking quite badly and Jeremy scooted closer to him. “Hey, hey, it’s okay!” He said softly, gripping Squip’s arm. “I get it; being scared isn’t fun, but it’s actually not a bad thing.” 

“How can that be?” Squip asked. 

Jeremy thought about how to word it, “Well, you actually learn from being scared,” He said. “You learn to face them and get over them, and you get stronger because of it.”

“I see,” Squip said nodding.

“And you gotta learn that it’s okay to be scared, it’s not something you should be embarrassed about,” Jeremy went on. “Everyone’s scared of something; Christine’s scared of getting stage fright, Michael’s scared of big dogs, heck, I was scared when I first met you.” 

Squip slowly smiled, “I suppose you’re right,” He said. “It astounds me just how much I have learned through you and your friends by being here a few days; it...almost makes me glad that I was stranded here.”

Jeremy beamed, “Well, I never thought I’d be hiding an alien in my house,” He admitted. “Makes me glad that I decided to camp out and watch for you when you came back.”

Squip’s smile grew wider, and Jeremy felt calm and serene pulses in his head. “I suppose we should get back to sleep,” Squip said. 

“Yeah, we got a big day tomorrow,” Jeremy agreed. Squip got up and headed back to the closet while Jeremy got back under the covers. 

“Hey,” Jeremy called. “Thanks for the talk, Squip.” 

Squip smiled, “You’re welcome; and thank you as well, Jeremy, for your words.”

Jeremy smiled back, “No problem.” With both their minds at ease, both of them fell right back into a deep and peaceful sleep.

* * *

 

The next day, school flew by quickly, and ended with Jeremy and Christine meeting Michael at his car to head to the store. As expected, they were able to find the rest of the things Squip needed, and with plenty of daylight left as well. They brought it back to Jeremy’s house where Squip was waiting, and the alien promptly got to work. 

Jeremy and his friends couldn’t do much to help other than hand him any tools or parts he needed, so for the most part, they just sat back and watched. It was pretty impressive, Jeremy had to admit. Despite being handed technology that he knew nothing about, he was building the signal like he had used these things his whole life. 

By sunset, it was done; it looked a fancy mini satellite dish to Jeremy, Michael and Christine. Squip, in a rare moment of bluntness, said that in human terms, it looked like garbage, but, he did admit, it was garbage that would work. 

Unfortunately for Michael and Christine, they couldn’t stick around that night to help go and test the signal due to their parents and other obligations. “I really really wanna stay, but I promised the girls that I’d run lines with them for the play,” Christine said sadly. “You know how Chloe gets when you ditch things with her.” 

“My parents actually want me home; say I’m spending too much time out of the house,” Michael said.

“Do they think I’m stealing you or something?” Jeremy joked. 

“If I blow them off, they might,” Michael chuckled. “And I’m not risking that mindset.”

“Tell us if it works, okay?” Christine said. “Cause I wanna see this thing send something!” 

“I will,” Jeremy promised. He bade his friends farewell and Jeremy turned to Squip, “So, where are we gonna set this thing off?” He asked. He went and stood next to Squip, who was staring out the sliding glass door towards the forest. 

“We must be hidden, that’s for certain,” Squip said. “The forest is quite large and is close to your house, making it the most ideal.”

Jeremy nodded, “Middleborough Forest it is.”

They packed the signal into a small box, small enough for Jeremy to easily carry in his arms and they exited into the backyard. The sky was growing darker, and Squip’s circuits, particularly the ones on his face, were glowing very brightly. “Uh, you think you could somehow turn down your lights?” Jeremy asked. “You’re pretty easy to see at night.” 

Squip hummed in agreement, “One moment.” Squip reached into his trench coat collar and pulled a black hood out, covering his head. The glowing from his face was covered significantly, but still lit their way. “Is this better?” Squip asked. 

Jeremy chuckled, “Yeah, that works.” They exited through Jeremy’s fence and headed into the trees. “Where exactly should we go?” 

“Some place high with a clear view of the sky,” Squip answered as they hiked. “Don’t worry, I know where to go.” 

“Will you be able to get us back?” Jeremy asked, glancing behind them. 

“Of course,” Squip answered. “I am tracking our exact path as we speak; we just need to follow it when we’re done.” 

“Okay, then.” 

They walked for a good while, nearly an hour, until they reached a decent sized clearing. The sun was completely gone by then, revealing the starry sky above them. “Will this work?” Jeremy asked. 

“Yes, this is perfect,” Squip said. 

Jeremy proceeded to put down the box and he carefully removed the signal. “Where should we put it?” He asked. 

Squip glanced around and spotted a small boulder with a flat surface, “This should suffice,” He said. “It must be on a steady surface.” Jeremy nodded and went over to the boulder. He carefully placed the signal down, but not long after he had, Jeremy stumbled and one of the jagged metal pieces scraped his hand. 

“Ow!” Jeremy hissed and bit his lip, shaking his hand. He felt a wetness in his hand and he looked at the damage. His palm now sported a long, ragged cut, that was bleeding quite badly. The piece of metal that cut him was now stained bright red. “Ow…” Jeremy whispered, swearing under his breath. 

“You are injured,” Squip observed, appearing next to him. 

Jeremy glanced at him, “No, I’m fine, it’s just a cut,” He said, wincing in pain as he reached for his pocket, hopefully to find some tissues. “I just need to-” 

“Let me see,” Squip reached towards him. 

“Squip, really, it’s fine, it’s-” Jeremy yelped as Squip took his hand and examined the injury, Squip stared at it for an almost uncomfortable amount of time, when Squip held up his other hand. The tips of his fingers began to glow and spark slightly with electricity. Jeremy watched with wide eyes as Squip slowly lowered his fingers onto the cut, covering it with the blue glow. Jeremy winced as he felt the small bolts tickle his palm, and a few seconds later, Squip removed his hand. Jeremy blinked and did a double take; his cut was gone! Even the blood was nowhere to be found! 

Jeremy looked his hand over for a few moments before breathing out a laugh, “Man, what can’t you do?” 

“There are a number of things,” Squip answered. “Far too many to list them all out to you.” 

Jeremy chuckled, “Fair enough.” They finished setting up the signal, making sure it had a clear shot towards the sky above them. “Okay...think it’ll work?” Jeremy asked.

“I am ninety...three percent certain it will work,” Squip said. “But...I still hope it does.” 

“Same here,” Jeremy agreed. Squip knelt down in front of the signal and his hands lit up. He carefully gripped the ends of the metal pole and gentle currents of electricity flowed through it. The machine seemed to whir to life as the gadgets and objects began to twist and turn; so far so good. Squip’s eyes glowed as the currents of electricity became more concentrated and the dish lit up electric blue. The light began to blink in certain patterns as Squip spelled out his message, reminiscent of morse code. 

“It’s working,” Jeremy breathed. “It’s working!” The signal continued to blink and stay alight, without any sign of breaking down or going out. Squip eventually let go of the machine, and the blinking continued, the message being relayed successfully.

“It worked!” Jeremy exclaimed happily. Squip smiled at his excitement, stood back up and stood next to Jeremy, the two of them glancing between the signal and they sky with triumph.

* * *

 

“Sir, we’re picking up some strange energy waves.” 

“Report.” 

“It seems to be some kind of binary code, but nothing I’ve ever seen.” 

“Can you translate it?”

“Negative, sir, but it seems to be some kind of signal; it’s like no signal I’ve ever seen.” 

“Can you pinpoint its location?”

“Not precisely, but I can find the general area.”

“Very good; send the recovery team out tomorrow morning. Our special visitor may be closer than we thought.”

* * *

 

Back in the forest, Jeremy and Squip sat next to one another against a large tree, a few feet away from the signal. They wanted to make sure it didn’t cut out or if they somehow got a response, though Squip said it was unlikely. 

“So, have you traveled to a lot of places?” Jeremy asked. 

“Not as much as you’re probably thinking,” Squip answered. “There are very many of us and we’re spread along the galaxy easily; I have only visited a few planets myself, but haven’t ever set foot on one.” 

Jeremy blinked, “Wait, you visit these planets and get all the info...but you don’t physically go onto them?” 

“As I said before, we can easily obtain our information from the atm osphere,” Squip said. “It’s easier and safer for us.”

“Well, I guess,” Jeremy said. “But there’s only so much that data can tell you about a planet.” 

“As I am learning from my time here,” Squip admitted. “I suppose I should consider myself...lucky that you were the one to find me, otherwise I might have perished a long time ago.” 

Jeremy smirked, “You’re welcome,” He said. He looked back up at the sky. “So, you’ve been to space; does that mean you know the names of the stars?” 

Squip smirked, “Lucky for you, I found a very helpful database on human astronomy to help translate my knowledge to your level.” 

“Whoa, someone’s getting snarky,” Jeremy laughed. He pointed to a random star, “Tell me what star that is.” 

“That’s not a star, it’s a satellite,” Squip answered. “You have a great many of those, I found.” 

Jeremy shrugged, “What about that one?” 

“That’s a plane,” Squip said. 

“What’s that one?” Jeremy pointed to another. 

“That’s Sirius, a real star,” Squip answered.

“And...that one?” 

“That one is Satyr,” Squip said. 

“Wow, you’re good,” Jeremy said. They were quiet again for a moment. “Can you see your planet from here?” Jeremy asked. 

Squip scanned the sky for a few seconds, “Yes, I can,” He said. “There.” He pointed to a small blue star, “With how far away my planet is from yours, it’s difficult to see.” 

“Yeah, I see it,” Jeremy said squinting. “It feels like its a lot closer from here for some reason.” 

“Yes, it does…” Squip admitted softly. Jeremy looked over at Squip to see that his face seemed less stoic than usual. He was staring at the star, his eyes filling with something akin to sadness. 

“Do you miss it?” Jeremy asked gently. “Your home?” 

Squip looked away slightly, “There are certain aspects that I miss,” He admitted. “This planet can be so...quiet sometimes. I’m used to being surrounded by the thoughts and workings of my own kind, working together.” His fists clenched lightly, “Being here, being the only voice in my head...I suppose it makes me feel…” He trailed off.

“Lonely?” Jeremy asked. 

Squip nodded once, “These emotions are still foreign to me, even after be being exposed to them these past few days,” He said softly. “My kind have never had the need for them.” 

“...Well, guess it’s better you learn now than not at all,” Jeremy said. 

Squip smiled softly, “I suppose so,” He said. They continued staring at the starry sky as the signal before them continued to glow.

* * *

 

Hours passed, and the hour grew very late. The signal was still going strong, so Squip decided it was safe to leave it for the night. Squip straightened up a bit, “Jeremy, we should get back,” He said. 

Jeremy didn’t answer. Squip turned to see that the boy was curled up against him, eyes closed. Squip had forgotten how sleep is such a big requirement for humans. Squip got up, careful not to disturb Jeremy, and took care to hide the device effectively with branches and leaves. It couldn’t be disturbed or the signal would cut out. When he was satisfied, Squip went over to Jeremy; he reached out to shake him awake but stopped. Jeremy looked so peaceful that Squip couldn’t bring himself to wake him, even though they both needed to get back to the house. Well...then he could work around this. 

Squip pulled up his hood and carefully slid his arms under Jeremy’s knees and shoulders, lifting him into his arms. Jeremy’s head lolled slightly on Squip’s shoulder, but he didn’t wake up. The poor boy was exhausted. With his glowing body lighting his way, Squip carefully navigated the forest with the sleeping Jeremy until they reached his house. 

Squip quietly entered the house through the sliding glass door and traveled up to Jeremy’s room where he deposited the teen into his bed. Squip pulled the covers over the boy and watched as Jeremy instinctively nestled under the covers, grateful for the softness and warmth. Squip suddenly felt something within him, something warm that he had never felt before. 

Squip slowly reached forward but pulled back slightly for a second when he neared Jeremy’s head. Squip remembered Christine’s gesture and her words, about how humans showed affection. Squip kept reaching out and gently stroked Jeremy’s hair. He had never felt this way about any life form; this...affection, this want, this need to care for Jeremy and keep him safe from any harm. Squip had never felt it before, but it felt...nice.

Jeremy seemed to smile slightly in his sleep and Squip pulled away, satisfied. The alien ventured into the closet and shut the doors, so his glowing wouldn’t disturb Jeremy. Squip settled down for the night, listening to Jeremy’s breathing; hopefully their efforts tonight wouldn’t be wasted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BMC Book anyone? :3c
> 
> (Also, platonic bonding; my favorite thing in this world X3)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day starts normal, but things quickly go terribly, terribly wrong.

The next morning, Squip had to wake Jeremy up in order for him to get to school on time. Despite having gotten less sleep than average, Jeremy seemed fine.

“So, when do you think your friends will get here?” Jeremy asked as he got his backpack on. 

“My estimate would be approximately 36 hours at maximum,” Squip answered. “With how primitive the technology is here, it may take them a while to intercept and decipher the message.” 

Jeremy nodded, “Should we go check on it sometime today?” 

“That would be wise,” Squip said. “Your planet is full of random variables so there is still room for error.”

Jeremy chuckled, “Perks of humanity, I guess,” He joked, heading for the door. “I’ll see you later.” 

Squip nodded and watched him go before closing the front door. Jeremy jogged down the street, catching the bus just in time. But as the bus drove away, a large black van turned the corner of the street, slowing down as it drove along the houses on Jeremy’s block.

* * *

 

The day seemed to fly by. It felt like Jeremy had just blinked and the day was already halfway over. “Soooooo?” Christine skipped alongside Jeremy and Michael in the hallway. “How did it go?” She lowered her voice. “Did you contact any aliens?”

“Well, the signal works,” Jeremy answered, making Christine light up. “Now Squip says we might have to wait 36 hours to see if they even got it.” 

“Hey, that’s progress in my book,” Michael commented. 

“Ooh, can we see the aliens when they come?” Christine asked, hopping a bit. 

“I didn’t know you were an alien enthusiast,” Michael commented. 

“I’m not, but this is just super exciting!” Christine chirped. “Real live aliens! It’s so cool!” 

Jeremy chuckled at her enthusiasm, “Sure, I’ll call you both to see them if this actually works.” 

“Yay!” Christine cheered as they entered the lunchroom.

Jeremy chuckled as he headed to the lunch line.  _ ‘Christine’s pretty excited about this whole thing.’  _

_‘Considering how excitable she is, I’m not terribly surprised,’_ Squip answered.

Jeremy blinked as he felt something akin to surprise despite the statement, _‘Are you sure about that?’_ He teased. 

_‘I’m not surprised at Christine, I’m surprised to hear from you Jeremy,'_ Squip said. _‘If I recall you weren’t particularly keen on using our connection.’_

Jeremy mentally shrugged, _‘I guess I’m just getting used to it,’_ He admitted. _‘And besides, now that we’ve contacted your species, you don’t really have anything to do, right? May as well keep you company.’_

_‘...That is very considerate of you, Jeremy,’_ Squip said. _‘But you shouldn’t talk to me now.’_

_ ‘Why not?’  _

_ ‘You’re about to walk into someone.’ _

Jeremy blinked and jumped out of the way just in time of a passing student with a full lunch tray. “Mind link troubles?” Michael asked with a chuckle. 

“No, just not paying attention,” Jeremy responded. 

_ ‘Your multitasking abilities are severely lacking.’  _

_ ‘I didn’t ask for your opinion!’  _

_ ‘That was an observation, not an opinion; now pay attention to your surroundings.’  _

Jeremy rolled his eyes, despite the smile on his face, _‘Fine.’_

* * *

Squip stood in Jeremy’s room, looking at the sky through the window. He silently hoped that his message was simple enough to reach them but not so simple that they brushed it off as a mistake. All the random variables on this planet were a nightmare; if he weren’t stranded, he would probably be more interested in just how random these variables could get. 

Squip wandered out of Jeremy’s room and downstairs; he found that simply wandering around the house helped to make the day go by faster. Perhaps later, if no one was around, he could step outside for a few moments. Squip passed by a window near the front of the house when something caught his eye. 

A black vehicle was parked across the street from the house. Odd; in his few days here, he had never seen that type of vehicle before. Squip stepped back as the vehicle opened and multiple humans emerged from it. 

Squip froze as something about those humans was vaguely familiar...and they were heading for the house. 

Squip ran upstairs.

* * *

 

Jeremy took a deep breath as he joined his friends at their usual lunch table with his tray. He could hear his heart pounding, his chest getting tight. He didn’t usually feel like this unless he was nervous. 

But he wasn’t nervous, so… 

_‘Squip?’_ Jeremy called. _‘Hey, is everything okay?’_

There was no answer.

* * *

 

Squip hovered at the top of the stairs, an iron grip on the railing. 

Silence filled the house. 

Maybe they had gone away. Just then there was a loud knocking at the front door. 

Squip didn’t move. 

The knocking came again, but Squip didn’t even dare to breathe. 

There was silence again, until something loud slammed the door.

* * *

 

Jeremy flinched suddenly, dropping his fork. 

“Whoa, you okay Jere?” Michael asked. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Rich added. 

Jeremy didn’t answer, taking deep breaths. He felt fear fill his heart, making it beat even wilder than before; something was wrong.

* * *

 

Squip ran to the hallway and ducked out of the way as the banging got louder. It wasn’t long before he could hear the wood of the door splintering followed by a loud crash. 

Then he heard footsteps clomping in the stairs. 

Gripped by fear, Squip ran back into Jeremy’s room and shut himself in the closet.

* * *

 

Jeremy leaned heavily on the table, his heart feeling like it was going to beat out of his chest. He faintly felt Michael rubbing his back and heard his friends talking to him. 

Jeremy held his head, feeling like it was spinning, as multiple things were flying through it a mile a minute. His vision of the lunchroom began to fade and he desperately reached out again.

_ ‘S...Squip?’ _

* * *

 

Squip pressed himself as far back into the closet as he could, the footsteps getting closer. 

A shadow appeared outside the closet door. 

No, he wasn’t going to let this happen! He couldn’t let this happen! 

Squip’s palm begin to glow, building up energy, as he waited for something to happen.

* * *

 

Jeremy’s face drained of color as he felt a tug at his mind. All his friends’ voices were completely muted. He was terrified, no, _Squip_ was terrified. 

But what could he possibly be...oh no… 

Images flashed before Jeremy’s eyes. Flashes of his closet, footsteps right outside the door. 

The hand next to him was glowing and getting brighter, raising to aim at the door. 

Jeremy’s widened in horror and he shot to his feet as the closet door opened. “NO!”

* * *

 

Squip’s eyes widened and he lessened the energy in his hand, the glow fading significantly. 

The door flew open and Squip was faced with multiple figures in black, aiming a pistol at him. Before Squip could even analyze that the figures perceived him as a threat, there was a loud pop. 

Electrical chords flew out of the gun and wrapped around Squip, pinning his arms. The alien could only scream as electricity began overloading his system, his eyes flashing dangerously brightly.

* * *

 

The lunchroom was in chaos. Jeremy was currently on the ground having the equivalent of an epileptic seizure, screaming in pain all the while.

“Jeremy!” Michael yelled, kneeling next to his friend with Christine while the others formed a protective circle to give them some space from the other panicking and curious students. Jeremy writhed and screamed, holding his head in pure agony. Michael and Christine tried to grab onto him, to try and stop him from moving and accidently hurting himself, but Jeremy’s spasms didn’t cease. 

“What the hell’s going on?!” Michael heard Rich nearly scream in panic. Teachers had started to gather, having heard the commotion, and Brooke and Jake grabbed one of them, frantically telling them to help. 

“Someone call an ambulance!” Someone yelled. 

Jeremy’s spasms slowly began to die down, allowing Michael to get a decent hold on him, “Jeremy, talk to me, buddy!” 

“No..." Jeremy muttered. “Stop, d-don’t-” Jeremy cried out in pain again, curling onto himself. The school nurse arrived on the scene and shooed Michael away so she could check him. But as she did, Jeremy reached towards both Michael and Christine, his face draining of color and his eyes glazing over from pain. 

“Michael...Christine...please, you have to-” Jeremy was overtaken by pain again, and Michael and Christine leaned towards him. 

“What, Jeremy? What is it?” Christine asked. 

“S...Squip…” Jeremy whimpered. 

Michael sucked in a breath, “Wait...you mean-” 

“Something’s...wrong…” Jeremy whined, his eyes filled with fear. He gripped Michael’s sleeve, “Guys, you, you gotta find Squip...find...Squip…!” 

Michael and Christine’s eyes widened in alarm, exchanging a glance as the nurse took Jeremy away with the help from a few other teachers and students. Wasting no time, Michael and Christine shot to their feet, pushed through the crowd, and bolted out of the school. They ran to Michael’s car and leapt in, Michael stepping on the gas. Michael may have gone over the speed limit multiple times, but Christine didn’t bother pointing it out. She just held on tight and hoped dearly that Squip was alright. 

They pulled up the Jeremy’s house and all but flew out the car, Michael’s spare key for the house already in hand. But he almost dropped it as Michael and Christine looked upon the front door that was hanging open, the hinges broken. “Shit…!” 

Michael ran into the house, Christine right behind him. The two immediately began searching the house. “Squip!” Michael called, sticking his head into every room upstairs. “Yo, Squip, are you here?!” 

“Squip?!” Christine cried looking desperately around the backyard. “Squip where are you?!” 

The house was nearly spotless, devoid of mess or signs of break-in other than the door. They searched every inch of the house for some kind of clue until they met up again in Jeremy’s room where the closet door was open, in the interior in disarray. 

Both Michael and Christine’s faces became drawn with fear; Squip was gone.

* * *

 

Everything was blurry. 

Squip couldn’t feel anything, but he could hear voices around him. He couldn’t move, he could barely see, everything felt heavy and useless. 

Squip tried to blink to clear his vision, but even that took effort. Shadows appeared over him in the shape of faces; it was easy to see that they weren’t Jeremy, Michael, or Christine. The voices seemed to multiply, and he felt hands on his body, squeezing him, poking him. 

Squip felt his heart pound, feeling his chest tighten; he hadn’t felt this sensation since he crashed. He was scared. He didn’t want to be here; he wanted to move, he wanted to see, he wanted to see Jeremy. 

He felt things attach to him, followed with more poking and squeezing. Stop it, stop it, stop! Jeremy, where was Jeremy?! 

Squip tried to listen for Jeremy’s thoughts, to hear his voice, but his mind was full of fog. He could only make out a few noises that were too muffled for him to process as Jeremy or something else. 

He desperately called out to the boy, trying to achieve a coherent thought, _‘J...Je...Jere…’_ But even sending one word was too much for his weakened mind to handle. The shadows got closer and the voices grew louder. 

Something sharp pierced his neck, but Squip could only let out a weak cry before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the angst begin


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't looking good for Jeremy or Squip, and Michael and Christine find themselves heading into a deeper hole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Nimflora for helping me work out how this chapter would go down :D

Michael and Christine drove back to school, their hearts heavy with fear. They to get Jeremy and figure out a plan. Someone had Squip, and neither of them wanted to know what that person could be doing to an alien. They pulled up, only to see the school slowly filtering out; the day was probably over or kids were being let out early.

Christine spied Jenna and hurried out of the car, “Jenna!”

“Hey,” Jenna greeted, looking up from her phone. “What happened to you; you and Michael just up and disappeared.”

“We had to check on something,” Christine answered quickly. “Is Jeremy still in the nurse’s office? We need to tell him something important!”

“Not anymore,” Jenna answered, worry in her voice. “They just drove him to the hospital a few minutes ago; wouldn’t stop spazzing.”

Christine’s face fell in worry, “Okay, thanks Jenna!” She hurried back into the car, ignoring Jenna’s calls after her. “He’s at the hospital!” She said to Michael.

“On it!” Michael turned the car around and drove away from the school. They reached the hospital in record time, barely able to keep themselves from demanding the location of Jeremy’s room from the receptionist.

They sprinted down the hall until they reached Jeremy’s room, where Jeremy lay in a hospital bed. He wore a hospital gown and he looked like he was asleep, but the sweat beading his now pale face and pinched expression suggested otherwise. Michael and Christine went to his side and Michael’s hands hovered over him, unsure of whether it was okay to disturb him.

“Jeremy?” Christine called softly. “Jeremy can you hear us?”

To their delight, Jeremy stirred, “Christine…” He mumbled.

“Yeah, Jere,” Michael joined in, gently touching his shoulder. “It’s Christine and Michael, wake up.”

Jeremy’s eyes slowly cracked open and slowly moved to his two friends, “Guys…”

“How do you feel, Jeremy?” Christine asked.

“Where’s Squip?” Jeremy asked weakly, trying to sit up. “Is he okay? Did you find him?”

“Take it easy, bud,” Michael said, gently pushing Jeremy back down.

“Where is he?” Jeremy asked again, his voice cracking with worry. “Where’s Squip?”

Michael and Christine shared a look. “We...we went to your house,” Christine started. “But when we got there…”

“The door was busted in,” Michael finished. “We...we couldn’t find Squip anywhere.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened and he tried to get up again. “Jeremy, no!” Christine exclaimed, helping Michael push him back down.

“Someone took him…!” Jeremy said urgently. “Someone took him, I need to, I need to find him!”

“You won’t be able to find anyone like this!” Michael hissed, trying to keep him still. “Would you quit moving? You’re gonna yourself sedated or us kicked out!”

Jeremy’s struggles slowly died down and his breaths became shaky with fear, “Then you’ve gotta find him,” He said, gripping Michael’s sleeve. “Both of you.”

Michael blinked, “Jeremy, I don’t-”

“Please, you have to find him!” Jeremy pleaded. “I feel it, he’s so scared right now; they’re...they’re doing something to him, he needs help; you’ve gotta find him!”

* * *

 Squip’s eyes slowly opened. His vision slowly cleared; he could see. Already an improvement from before, now he had to make the most of it. He had been taken from Jeremy’s house; he had to escape and get back to Jeremy. That was his main objective: get back to Jeremy. For now, he had to fully assess his situation.

A sterile white ceiling was above him; he glanced around to see a small white room, completely void of any objects unlike Jeremy’s room. Squip tried to move, but couldn’t. He looked down; his clothes were gone, replaced with a long, white, single piece garment that nearly reached his ankles. He was lying on a flat surface above the ground; it was similar to Jeremy’s bed, but somehow much different. It was uncomfortable and stiff; it hurt.

Squip tried to move again, but failed. His wrists and ankles were bound to the bed with thick straps. Squip lifted his head and pulled as hard as he could, but the straps refused to give way. Seeing no other alternative, Squip began to focus his energy. He winced as his head still felt heavy and foggy. He still couldn’t focus enough to hear or speak to Jeremy; whatever these humans had done to him, he could already tell it wasn’t good.

With much effort, Squip focused his energy in one set of fingers on one hand. His fingers heated up and crackled lightly with electricity and he managed to touch the strap around his wrist. He felt the material slowly burning away when a loud slam jerked him out of his concentration. The door had been slammed open, and masked humans suddenly surrounded him.

“Sedate the subject, quickly!” A voice said.

Something sharp jabbed his arm. Squip’s eyes grew wide and glowed as he screamed.

* * *

 

Jeremy’s eyes widened and he let out a scream, suddenly clutching his arm.

“Jeremy!” Michael sprung into action and started holding him down as the writhing started again.

“I’ll get a doctor!” Christine called, bolting out the door.

“Jeremy, Jeremy you have to stay with me!” Michael yelled, as Jeremy’s flailing began to get worse.

“M-Michael!” Jeremy cried, squeezing his eyes shut. “It hurts, Michael! It hurts so bad!”

Michael couldn’t bring himself to speak as the doctors and nurses appeared, separating Michael from his friend. Michael felt Christine grip his arm in fear as Jeremy’s screaming didn’t cease.

“It hurts!” Jeremy cried, tears becoming visible. “God it hurts! Stop! Make it stop!”

* * *

 

It hurts, it hurts! Please stop, just make it stop!

Squip pulled desperately against his restraints as he felt like his insides were being burned and ripped out of him. One by one, needle after needle, his arms stung madly from the pain. But the worst pain was in his head. His connection with Jeremy was still strong despite everything, and that wasn’t a good thing. Squip could hear Jeremy’s scream echo and harmonize with his own as these humans continued to hurt him. Why couldn’t they leave them alone? If not him, why can’t they leave Jeremy out of this?!

“Get another blood sample,” A voice said.

A doctor went towards Squip again, and he jerked his hand out of the weakened strap and grabbed the doctor’s wrist. If his head wasn’t full of fog and pain, Squip would have remembered that he had tried to burn that strap away previously and his struggling had weakened it greatly. The doctor yelped and the other humans began to panic as Squip sharply pulled him close.

“Stop…” Squip rasped.

“W...Wha…” The doctor spluttered.

“It’s talking!” A voice exclaimed.

“It's speaking English! How is this possible?!” Another said.

“You’re...hurting...him…” Squip growled, glaring at him and those around him. “St-op…”

“Give him another dose,” A voice said. Squip screamed as the fluids were injected into him once again.

* * *

 

Jeremy writhed on the hospital bed, pulling desperately against the straps that now kept him pinned. God it hurt, it hurt so bad! “Stop!” He screamed. “Please stop, it’s hurts! Leave him alone!” Jeremy slammed back down on the bed and writhed, tangling the sheets that covered him, trying to somehow reach Squip, but his head felt like it was being split open with an axe. He could hear echoes in his head, sounding a lot like Squip screaming, calling for him, but there was nothing he could do.

 _‘Squip! Squip, please, answer me!’_ Jeremy called mentally, but he was met with another wave of pain. Jeremy screamed and writhed again, his back arching; he could feel his arms stinging, like something was poking him, he could feel heat and nausea in his stomach.

“STOP!” Jeremy screamed. “Please stop hurting him! Just leave us alone!”

Michael and Christine watched from the window outside the room Jeremy had been moved to; Jeremy was considered too unstable to have visitors. “What are they doing to poor Squip?!” Christine cried.

“Obviously, nothing good,” Michael said helplessly, running a hand through his hair. Seeing Jeremy like this was painful on a whole new level.

“What should we do?” Christine asked.

“I…” Michael was at a loss. They had nothing on about who could’ve taken Squip and where they were. There was nothing they could do, because they simply didn’t know where to start.

Thankfully, Jeremy’s round of spasms was short, because he soon fell unconscious again, leaving Michael and Christine to stand vigil near their friend and hope that an answer came to them soon.  

* * *

 

“Is the subject fully under?”

“Yes; it took quite a few doses, but it won’t be waking up for a while.” Two pairs of eyes stared at the unconscious alien through a window into an examination room.

“What’s the status on the residents of the house where you found it?”

“The owner of the house, Paul Heere has been in New York for the past few days; and our recent records say that the only other resident, Paul's son, Jeremy, has been hospitalized due to a seizure.”

One of the eyes narrowed, “This Jeremy was still in the house?”

“Not when we contained the subject, but yes, it’s very likely he has been there the entire time.”

"What time was the subject contained?”

“Uh...time says 11:38, sir.”

“And what time was this boy hospitalized?”

Tapping on a keyboard. “The ambulance arrived at 11:47, and the call was made at 11:39, sir.”

“...Send a few scouts to the hospital where Jeremy Heere is located; I think a few...clarifications are in order.”

* * *

 

A black van pulled up to the hospital, parking in the back of the building and out of sight. Two figures donning formal medical clothing exited and made their way inside to the front desk, warrants in hand. Convincing the secretary and nurses was easy, as was finding the room of their assigned subject.

As they arrived, they spied two teenagers, slumped against the wall from across the room, sound asleep. One wore headphones around his neck while the other had short black hair and was leaning on the other. The two figures exchanged a look; they were going to have to be stealthy. They quietly entered the room, laying eyes on the boy, strapped to the hospital bed. The boy was lying still, breathing labored, but clearly awake, his eyes half-lidded.

The two men approached either side of his bed, “Jeremiah Heere,” One said.

Jeremy blinked and looked up, his eyes glazed over, “What do you want?” He mumbled.

“We simply have a few questions for you,” The man said, leaning closer to him, making Jeremy blink awake a bit more. “Specifically regarding a certain creature we found in your house.”

Jeremy stared at them when he flinched, a spark in his eyes, “You…” He began to pull against the straps. “You...you’re the ones...you took him away!” The two men exchanged a nod, and one quickly located one of the spare straps for the bed. “Where’s Squip? What have yo-mmph!” The man pulled the strap across the bed and over Jeremy’s mouth, stopping his words and his head movement.

 _“Update; the creature has awoken and said the patient’s name,”_ A voice through an earpiece in both their ears said.

"Update received; the patient is also displaying knowledge of the creature's existence," One of the men said. "It seems his hypothesis was correct; is the specimen ready?"

_“Affirmative; and the patient?”_

The other put a hand to his ear where the earpiece rested, “Patient is ready; inject the specimen.” A few seconds later, Jeremy’s eyes widened and a scream tried to escape him, only for it to be muffled by the strap. “Any reaction?”

_“The creature is reacting very negatively; time 15:45.”_

“As is the patient, same time; is the specimen reacting with spasms?”

_“Affirmative; could this still be a coincidence?”_

“Only one way to find out. Sedate the specimen now.”

Jeremy struggled and squirmed when his eyes suddenly widened and rolled back into his head. Jeremy’s struggles stopped and he ceased movement.

One of the men checked his pulse just to be safe, “He’s unconscious; time 15:47.”

The other put a hand to his ear, “The specimen?”

 _“Unconscious; time 15:47.”_ That was all the conformation they needed. They removed the straps from Jeremy’s mouth and his body before loading him onto a gurney and rolling him out of the room.

* * *

 

Michael jerked awake in the middle of a snore. He blinked and glanced around; when had he fallen asleep? Christine was still leaning on him, undisturbed; god, what time was it? Michael shifted a bit to reach into his pocket and grab his phone, Christine still sound asleep despite the movement. It was almost ten to four; damn they must’ve been wiped.

Michael looked at Christine and gave her a few gentle shakes, “Hey, Christine.”

Christine stirred and her eyes fluttered open, “Huh? Did we fall asleep?” She mumbled sleepily.

“Yeah, we did,” Michael grunted as he stretched.

“How’s Jeremy doing?” Christine asked before sitting up and yawning.

“Well, let’s see,” Michael got up and wandered to the window. He blinked. He blinked again. “Uh...Christine, Jeremy’s not here.”

“What?”

“Jeremy’s not in the room,” Michael repeated, urgency growing.

Christine blinked before shooting to her feet, “What?!” She ran to the window beside Michael, and sure enough, the bed that held Jeremy was empty. Christine spied a nurse walking down the hallway and she bolted up to her, Michael close behind, “Excuse me, what happened to the boy in that room?” She asked pointing.

The nurse blinked, “Oh, we received word that he was to be transferred to another hospital,” She said.

“But he’s only been here a few hours,” Michael protested; there was no way another hospital would request a transfer that quick!

“Well there’s nothing I can do; they had the proper identification,” The nurse said.

“Well, did you see where they went?” Christine asked.

“Uh, that way, I think,” The nurse pointed.

“Thank you!” Christine chirped and she and Michael ran off. They ran through the hallways, ignoring the calls from the doctors to slow down, until they found themselves in the lobby.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until Michael looked behind him to see a gurney being rolled towards the back door. “Chris, this way!” Michael tugged her after him and they ran down the hallway just as the gurney vanished out the back door. Michael and Christine reached the door and peeked out of it, getting a closer look at the gurney; sure enough, Jeremy was lying perfectly still on it, completely unaware of the movement around him. They watched as Jeremy’s gurney was rolled into a large black van by people who clearly weren’t doctors.

“What’s happening?” Christine whispered.

“I don’t know,” Michael said, fishing his car keys out of his pocket. “But we’re gonna find out.”

* * *

 

Jeremy jerked himself out of unconsciousness with a gasp. He immediately squinted from the harsh bright lights above him. He blinked and looked around, his head throbbing painfully. He was in a small white room, still donning his gown from the hospital. He was lying on a very uncomfortable bed, his wrists and ankles strapped down.

Jeremy blinked as memories slammed into him, combined with the throbbing fog in his head. He sucked in a breath and began to pull against his restraints, but found his limbs heavy and nearly useless. He could still feel sweat on his face and swirling fire in his stomach. He felt like he was sick, only a hundred times worse than anything he’s ever had.

Just then, the door opened and three men entered the room, two of them seeming to be doctors judging by the masks. The other was wearing a regular suit, giving off the air that he was one of the ones in charge.

The two doctor’s approached Jeremy and checked his vitals, making Jeremy weakly squirm from the close contact. “Vitals are normal, but quite weak,” One said. “They’re very close to becoming unstable.”

The suited man hummed, “I suppose we’ll have to be more gentle then,” He said, stepping right up to Jeremy, “He’s clearly been through a lot, having a dangerous creature in his presence for so long.”

“Where’s Squip?” Jeremy demanded, surprised at how weak his own voice sounded.

The man raised an eyebrow, “Squip? Is that what you call it?”

“He’s not...an ‘it’,” Jeremy said, finding it tiring to even speak. “What did you...do...to him?”

“Obviously, we haven’t done anything yet,” The suited man said. “You should know that better than all of us.”

“You’ve done...something…” Jeremy rasped. “I’ve been feeling...all of it…”

“So I was right; you two _are_ connected in some way,” The suited man said. “I’m actually looking forward to seeing what happens now that we have the two of you.”

“Let...him go…!” Jeremy tried to raise his voice. “He’s...scared…he just...wants...to go home…”

“It’s an invasive species that doesn’t belong here!” The suited man snapped. “This thing is not of this world; we must do what is necessary to protect our planet from those who want to invade it.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “No, he’s not-” Jeremy was cut off by his own yelp as a stab of pain entered him again.

“I guess the creature was acting up again,” The suited man said. “It’s been saying your name quite a bit; I’m sure it will be glad to see you.” A doctor held Jeremy’s head still by his chin and Jeremy struggled as a nasal cannula was placed on his face.

A moment later, another man came in. “The creature is ready,” He said. “Bring him in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Dark Knight Joker voice* And here we...go.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and Christine try desperately to help their friends, but Squip and Jeremy's captors finally go too far...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time passage is kinda all over the place here so bear with me; also warning for terrible government security measures XP

The sky was now orange as Michael and Christine hid behind a patch of trees, staring at the old looking lab building across from them. It had been quite a drive while tailing the van that had taken their friend, leading them to a part of New Jersey they didn’t even know existed. Michael’s car had run out of gas a while back, forcing them to leave it behind and follow on foot. Thankfully, they didn’t have much further to travel and had been lying in wait in case anyone emerged. 

“That’s clearly not a hospital,” Michael said lowly. 

“Do you think Squip is in there too?” Christine asked. 

“I hope so,” Michael said softly. They waited a few more seconds to make sure the coast was clear before running closer to the entrance. No one was in sight, no guards or anything. 

“Where is everybody?” Christine wondered.

“Maybe this is just a temporary sight,” Michael suggested. 

“What’s that?” Christine asked. 

“In the movies, when government guys are investigating something they set up a little station to work, you know, so they don’t have to fly back and forth from DC all the time.” 

Christine lit up, “Oh; like when police are camping out in a house when someone was kidnapped!” 

“Yeah!” Michael said. “So there’s not really any security around cause they have to make this place still look abandoned from the outside!” 

“Awesome!” Christine said, keeping her voice low as they headed towards the entrance. “But we still have to be careful.” 

“Have you ever done a stealth level?” Michael asked as they pressed their backs to the wall, right next to the door.

“No, but I am the undisputed champion of hide-and seek,” Christine answered. “Being this small has its perks.” 

Michael grinned. “Good enough for me.” They peeked through the front door and hurried inside. They ran down the eerily empty hallways, surprised at just how few people were there. Luck was probably on their side, since every time they spied someone, they were walking away from them and turning the next corner, leaving their path clear. 

They began peeking into any doors that were open, in hopes of spotting Jeremy or Squip, and Michael eventually lit up eagerly as he peeked into one of the empty rooms. “Christine, come here!” He whisper called. 

“One second!” Michael turned around to see that the room across from where he was was open a crack, and a few moments later, Christine emerged, pressing a bundle to her chest. Footsteps were heard down the hall and Michael gestured frantically. Christine hurried into the room and Michael shut the door quietly. They held their breath as the footsteps got closer...only to hear them pass; they both deflated in relief. 

“What did you find?” Michael asked, gesturing to the bundle Christine held. Christine smiled and put the bundle down, revealing a pile of folded clothes that contained a familiar striped shirt and blue sweater as well as a black trenchcoat. 

“Jeremy and Squip will want these back when we save them,” Christine said, as optimistic as ever. “Now, why did you wanna come in here?” 

“Because of this,” Michael gestured to the side of the room where a wall of computer monitors was set up along with a counter full of keyboards and other buttons. “This place used to have cameras, and these guys clearly aren’t using them, so we can use them to find Squip and Jeremy.”

“Ooh, good idea!” Christine said, stuffing the clothes into her backpack. “Buuuut how do we make them work?” 

“Leave that to me,” Michael went under the counter and plugged something in before turned on one of the screens. 

“Are you sure the cameras are even working?” Christine asked, moving next to him. 

Michael nodded, typing on one of the keyboards. “If this place is still operational enough to have electricity in here, then the cameras are bound to be just as good.”

* * *

 

Jeremy grit his teeth and pulled against his restraints as his bed was rolled down a seemingly endless hallway. His heart was pounding due to his own fear this time instead of Squip’s. Not to mention the waves upon waves of sickness he was feeling. Jeremy was eventually rolled into a large room, his bed parked next to another. Jeremy looked over and his breathing picked up as he laid eyes on his friend. 

“S-Squip!” Jeremy croaked. Squip was in a hospital gown like Jeremy, a nasal cannula on his face as well. Squip slowly looked at Jeremy and his eyes widened slightly. Jeremy could feel fear and worry fill his head. 

“Je...Jeremy…!” Squip managed weakly.

Jeremy instinctively pulled against the straps again, wanting to spring up and go over to him. “What did you do to him?!” He exclaimed, his voice still rough. 

The doctors around him didn’t answer, and began reaching for various supplies. Jeremy squirmed as multiple sensors were placed on his head and a clip was put on his finger. A screen next to Squip’s lit up, revealing his heartbeat and brain activity in an almost identical pattern of beeps.  Sensors were placed on Squip’s head as well, making his own brain activity appear on his monitor, only the alien was too weak to try to fight it.

“Stop!” Jeremy cried weakly. “Leave him alone!” The doctors began moving around again, spewing medical and technical jargon that Jeremy didn’t understand. 

“Our analysis is showing complete coherence and synchronization of brain waves between both the creature and the boy.” 

“Get a blanket for the boy; his body temperature is decreasing rapidly.” 

“It seems the creature’s blood is made up of hundreds of thousands more electrons than human blood it’s practically liquid electricity!” 

Jeremy squirmed and writhed weakly, his whole body in pain.  “Squip…” Jeremy could only whisper; he strength was nearly gone. He tried reaching out with his mind, but he was just too tired. There was too much pain for him to even process. In fact, Jeremy could barely feel Squip’s presence in his head at all.

Jeremy reached out again and tried to find his friend, but he could barely feel it. It was like Squip’s presence was slowly shrinking and withering away. He took in Squip’s pale face, glazed eyes, and raspy breathing and realization slowly came to him. 

Whatever these doctors were doing, whatever they were injecting into Squip...it was killing him.

* * *

 

Michael and Christine were certain that this was the worst situation they had ever been in. Stuck in a room unable to help their two friends who were currently being experimented on was hurting them way more than they ever imagined it would. Michael had managed to hook up and find the right camera that showed them where Jeremy and Squip were, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. 

Jeremy and Squip were lying almost perfectly still on their beds, hardly reacting to anything anymore. The doctors had finally decided to remove the straps on their wrists, deciding that both of them were too weak to try escaping. They kept sticking Squip with needles, but the most they got out of him was a flinch. 

Michael clenched his fists tightly as he watched his best friend and new friend move about in pain. How could these people do something like this to them? Christine bit her lip and fidgeted, feeling more anxious and afraid than she ever felt. Her friends were in there, two dear friends, and they couldn’t do anything! They had to wait for the doctor’s to all leave, cause two high school students didn’t stand a chance against a small army of grown men.

Christine moved to grip Michael as a kind of anchor, and Michael put an arm around her in turn. As scared as they were, they were just going to have to be strong and wait for the right moment.

* * *

 

Hours passed. Michael and Christine both took turns between watching the monitor for any sign of the doctor’s leaving and pacing the room, impatience and worry growing by the second. They even took turns taking small naps. But the doctors never left. It just kept going in an endless cycle of needles, data, brainwaves, and whatever the hell else they wanted out of Squip and Jeremy. 

By the time Michael was ready to say ‘fuck it’ and just burst in there, throwing all caution to the wind, something finally happened. 

“The creature’s pressure is starting to decrease dangerously,” Someone said. The doctor’s began to move faster, a bit frantic in their movements. 

“What’s going on?” Christine asked fearfully. 

Michael shook his head, “I don’t think it’s anything good.”

* * *

 

Jeremy blinked slowly as the figures around him seemed to move with greater speed. “The creature’s vitals are nearly unstable.”

“I’ve got de-synchronization of the two brain waves.”

Jeremy blearily forced his head to turn to the side, trying to mentally call out to Squip beside him. To his delight, Squip responded, his head slowly turning towards him. “S...Squip…” Jeremy rasped. 

Squip opened his mouth, breathing seeming to be a struggle for him, “Jer...emy…” He whispered weakly.

“Squip…” Jeremy weakly raised his arm, “Squip...st...stay with me…” He reached towards him. “Don’t...leave me…” 

“Jeremy…” Squip breathed, his own arm moving and reaching towards him. Unfortunately, they were too far apart to fully grasp each other’s hands. They both strained as much as they could, allowing their fingers to brush. 

_‘There’s s...so much…pain...Jeremy…’_ Jeremy heard a faint voice in his head. _‘I don...don’t know...how much longer…’_

Jeremy could feel sorrow weakly emanating from Squip. “It’s...okay…” Jeremy wheezed. “I’m here...it’s okay…” The doctors seemed to slow their movements, some of them watching the interaction with interest. 

Squip’s eyes seemed to flash weakly as he kept reaching towards Jeremy. _‘Jere...my…’_ Their fingers eventually hooked together and a faint glowing came from Squip’s fingertips. _‘Yo...You have...to...st...stay…al...’_ Squip’s voice became softer, like their connection was dissolving. 

The monitors began to beep in different patterns. “The creature’s pressure is bottoming out,” A doctor said. 

“And the boy?”

“He’s reverting back to normal sinus rhythm.”

The voice in his head became a whisper. _‘Jeremy…’_

“Squip…” Jeremy croaked as Squip’s fingers slipped from his.

_ ‘J...ere...my…’  _

“Squip…!” Squip’s arm slowly dropped and hung off the bed, too weak to pull back up, prompting a doctor to place it back on the bed. “Squip, talk to me…!” Jeremy said, his voice seeming stronger than before. The alien didn’t respond, his eyes slowly closing and breathing weak. 

“They’re separating; the brain waves are separating!”

“What does that mean?” 

“...The boy’s coming back; we’re losing the creature.”

* * *

 

Back in the surveillance room, Michael and Christine watched the screen in horror as more time passed. Squip’s heartbeat was getting slower and fainter, and Jeremy was becoming more upset by the second. 

Everytime Squip’s heartbeat slowed, Jeremy’s sped up. Jeremy was getting stronger and Squip was getting weaker.

* * *

 

Jeremy tried to sit up, but his head was throbbing. He felt like something was being ripped out of his head, like yanking a wire that was stuck in a wall. “You’re killing him!” Jeremy cried weakly. “Can’t you see that?! Just stop, please!” 

Color had been slowly returning to Jeremy’s cheeks, while Squip’s skin seemed to be whiter than snow, his circuits fainter than ever. Squip’s heartbeat was growing ever slower, his eyes barely open and his breathing practically non-existent. 

“Squip!” Jeremy cried desperately, one more time. “Please, Squip answer me! Squip!” 

_‘Je...re...my...’_ Jeremy blinked as he heard a faint, muffled voice in his head, _‘J...Jeremy...I’m...s...sorry…’_

...There was silence. 

“Squip...no…!” Jeremy watched in horror as Squip’s circuits grew so faint he could barely see them. 

They flickered...they blinked...and they completely faded. 

The flatline of the heart monitor was instantly followed by Jeremy’s scream of despair, unknowingly echoed by Michael and Christine in the surveillance room.

* * *

 

“No pulse or respiration!” 

“No blood pressure!” 

“We can’t get a read on any of its vitals!”

Squip was completely blocked by a wall of doctors, all of them frantically reaching for the tools needed. “Leave him alone!” Jeremy yelled. He sat up, feeling a sudden burst of strength, “Stop it! STOP!” 

“Someone get the kid out of here!” Someone yelled.

“Leave him alone! Stop!” Jeremy ripped the sensors and cannula off his head before multiple hands pushed and held him on the bed. 

“Dammit, get the kid out of here!” A voice yelled.

Jeremy fought against the hands holding him as his bed started to be rolled out of the room. “No! Stop!” Jeremy yelled, reaching towards where Squip’s bed was. “Squip! SQUIP!”

* * *

 

Back in the surveillance room, Michael tore himself away from the monitors, telling himself out loud that now was his chance to get Jeremy. 

Christine remained frozen in front of the monitors as the flatline still sounded through the speakers over the men talking. She covered her mouth, a lump coming to her throat as the doctors frantically performed CPR to bring the alien back. Eventually, a defibrillator was brought out, and the two pads were placed on Squip’s chest. “Clear!” 

Christine jumped and squeezed her eyes shut as Squip’s body jolted, tears flowing down her face. 

Squip still didn’t move.

* * *

 

“SQUIP! SQUIP!” Jeremy screamed, the men pinning him to his bed. The men rolled Jeremy into his cell and quickly closed the door before he could get back up. “NO!” Jeremy got up and ran to the door just as it was closed and locked. “NO! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT! SQUIP! SQUIP!” 

Jeremy pounded on the door as hard as he could, screaming until his voice became hoarse. Tears streamed down his face and sobs finally broke free. Jeremy tried reaching out with his mind. He screamed and yelled for Squip to answer him...but there was nothing. His head was completely silent.

Jeremy slid to the ground and curled into a ball, crying in earnest.

* * *

 

Michael watched from across the hall as the men entered a code on Jeremy’s door before hurrying away. Once they were out of sight, Michael ran over and tried punching in multiple codes, but none of them worked. 

“Fuck this…” With a burst of adrenaline and anger from previous events, Michael kicked the door open and hurried into the room. Jeremy was in the middle of the room, his back to him. He was curled into a ball and didn’t respond to the door opening. Swallowing, Michael slowly walked towards him and knelt down. “Jeremy?” 

To his relief, Jeremy slowly turned to look at him, and tears came to his bloodshot eyes. “Michael…!” He whimpered. The two boys wrapped their arms around one another in a tight embrace. They stayed there for a few moments before Michael helped Jeremy to his feet.

That was when Christine came in, who promptly launched herself at Jeremy and Michael. Christine sobbed softly, while Jeremy’s tears silently fell, clinging to his two friends. He felt only his own emotions, and no one else's. 

Their link, their connection was gone. 

Squip was gone. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time to break out of the lab...

Jeremy, Michael, and Christine waited in the surveillance room, waiting for the examination room to clear out. The men were still surrounding Squip, softly saying and recording the time of death and packing away their instruments. Jeremy stood in the room, the blanket from his bed wrapped around him. He stared at the wall, unable to watch. He only moved when he felt Michael and Christine behind him, leading him out of the room.

Thankfully, the coast was clear, and the three headed down the hallway. However, instead of heading for an exit, they wandered back to the examination room; they wanted to see Squip one last time. They reached the now empty room, save for the still body of the alien, and they stared through the window at him.

Christine shook her head, “I can’t believe he’s gone,” She said softly.

“He did it for me,” Jeremy said softly. “I don’t know how but...he healed me, I know it.”

Michael let out a shaky breath. “I’m sorry we couldn’t do more to help, Jere,” He said.

“It’s okay…” Jeremy whispered. “...I’m glad you guys are here.” Michael and Christine smiled sadly and leaned against him, giving him a small hug in the process as they continued to look at Squip. They stood in silence for a few more minutes.

“Could I have a minute?” Jeremy asked softly. “Alone?” Michael and Christine exchanged a glance but nodded regardless. Michael rubbed his back and Jeremy entered the room alone. He somehow brought himself to lift his head and lay eyes on Squip.

The cannula was off his face, but he lay perfectly still, his face pale and eyes sunken. His hands had been folded over his stomach, like some last ditch effort for the ones who did this to him to not feel guilty and think what they did was humane. It was almost unnatural to see him without the glowing circuits on his skin; to a stranger he would look like a perfectly normal human. A human that was going to be taken, frozen, and cut up for research. It wasn’t fair... Jeremy’s tears began to spill again as he walked over and stood by Squip’s side.

“Look what they’ve done to you,” Jeremy whispered. “I’m so sorry Squip...if I just…” A soft sob escaped him. “I wish there was something I could do...you could do so much, and I just…”

His brain weakly tried to to think of anything he could have done differently to make things different, but his head just felt so...empty. Jeremy hated it. It was just a constantly echoing reminder that Squip was…

Jeremy sniffed, tears tracking down his cheeks as he reached out with his thoughts one more time. Maybe if he filled the empty void it would help. _‘I’ll miss you, Squip; I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you,’_ His voice was soft even in his own head. _‘I only knew you for a few days, but...you were one of the greatest friends I ever had.’_

Jeremy’s tears dripped onto the sheets. _‘I’ll never forget you for the rest of my life.’_ Jeremy took a deep breath, _‘Goodbye, Squip...I love you…’_

Jeremy waited for a response...but there was none. It was just wishful thinking. With his head lowered, Jeremy turned and slowly walked towards the door, barely feeling a distinct hum in the back of his head.

_‘...You have a very touching way with words, Jeremy.’_

Jeremy stopped in his tracks. Was he just hearing things?

_‘Although, you have no need to apologize; you were not responsible for any of their actions.’_

Jeremy turned back around...only to see a faint glowing coming from Squip’s heart. Jeremy choked on his breath as he ran back over to his side, “Squip?” He called, his voice cracking. “Squip, are you…?”

Squip’s chest rose ever so slightly as his eyes cracked open. “Hello, Jeremy,” He said softly, his circuits barely visible on his skin.

Jeremy’s face became elated, letting out a disbelieving laugh. “Y-You’re alive...you’re alive!” He cried, barely hearing Michael and Christine freaking out with joy outside the door. “Wait...so, were you….how are you...?”

Squip’s smile faded, “I am sorry, Jeremy, but it was the only way to get those men to stop poking at the both of us.”

“...You faked it?” Jeremy squeaked. “You were really okay the whole time?”

“Not...exactly,” Squip said slowly. “Those substances were slowly killing me, and I needed to give you enough energy to properly heal, resulting in my being pushed to the brink of death.” Jeremy stared at him blankly.

“By giving up all that energy, my body entered a kind of sleep mode, to try and preserve the little energy I had left to revive me while destroying the threats to my system,” Squip went on. “Of course, your being here and trying to reach me did help speed things along.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Jeremy exclaimed. “I actually thought you were dead, you scared the shit out of me!”

“Your reaction had to be believable,” Squip said and Jeremy’s eyes filled with rage. “I am sorry, Jeremy, but it was the only plan of action that had the highest chance-”

“Shut up!” Jeremy snapped, turning away for a second, “Don’t fucking talk to me right now, just…” Jeremy gripped his hair, his emotions clashing together as he glared at Squip with teary eyes but with the hint of a smile pulling at his face. “You just, you...I can’t fucking believe you! You seriously, you...you fucking…!”

Jeremy fell to his knees and buried his face in his arms, pounding the table with his fist. “Dammit, I hate you...I hate you so much…!” Jeremy mumbled.

“You can’t lie to me Jeremy, our minds are connected,” Squip said.

“Shut up, I hate you…” Jeremy repeated.

“Jeremy, while I am just as happy as you are, I am still very weak at the moment,” Squip said with a small wince. “And I doubt those men will take their time coming back here to retrieve my supposed corpse.”

Jeremy blinked and looked up, his eyes falling on Squip’s rapidly fading circuits that were blinking frantically. Jeremy’s head shot up, his initial anger forgotten. “Shit…!” Jeremy pulled Squip into a sitting position and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “Can you stand?”

“I will try,” Squip said, slowly sliding off the bed. His legs bent under him, nearly taking Jeremy down, but with effort, Squip managed to push himself up enough for them to start staggering forward. Jeremy and Squip hurried out of the room, where Michael and Christine were waiting for them.

Michael darted forward to support Squip on the other side, “Dude, it's good to see you up, but man, you scared the crap out of us!” Michael exclaimed through a laugh as they hurried around a corner and carefully propped Squip against the wall for a moment to rest.

Christine then darted forward and wrapped her arms around Squip’s neck, “I’m so glad you’re okay; Michael’s right, you scared us to death!” She cried. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I don’t plan to; it was very risky in the first place,” Squip responded, his arms hanging almost uselessly by his sides. “How long have we been here?”

“Uh, since yesterday, I think,” Michael answered.

“We were here that long?” Jeremy exclaimed.

“You guys were pretty drugged up,” Michael pointed out.

Jeremy then blinked, “Oh shit, the signal!” He exclaimed. “We gotta check on the signal!”

“He’s right,” Squip said. “It’s very likely my species will be arriving here soon.”

“What?!” Christine squeaked.

“What happened to the whole thirty six hours to see if they even got it?” Michael asked.

“That was merely a hypothesis,” Squip answered. “Since I was forced to go into sleep mode it alerted the hive.”

“Are you serious?” Jeremy asked.

“We are all connected to the hive in a large network,” Squip explained. “But since there are so many of us, it only keeps track of whether we are alive or deceased.”

“Ooooh, so your light went out on the giant switchboard,” Michael said in understanding.

“So, you dying basically made its own distress signal?” Christine asked.

“Technically, yes,” Squip said.

“Man, if only we’d known that earlier,” Michael joked, earning a small glare from Jeremy. “Too soon?”

“Yeah…” Christine agreed softly.

“So does that mean they’ll come straight to you?” Jeremy asked.

Squip shook his head, “No, they will still come and be drawn towards the signal; estimated time of arrival is this evening.”

The three teens exchanged a look, “Then we gotta move!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Yeah, but first of all, we need to find a way to get the hell out of here,” Michael said.

“We gotta find our clothes, too,” Jeremy pointed out, gesturing to the hospital gowns.

In response, Christine pulled two bundles out of her backpack with a smile, “Covered.”

“In the meantime,” Michael dug into his hoodie pocket and pulled out a bottle of Mountain Dew, smirking at Squip. “I think it’s time you got a refill.”

* * *

 

Meanwhile, familiar group of teenagers wandered out of a mall. They were looking for some sign of Michael, Christine, and Jeremy, their worry for them growing by the second. They had all tried to contact them the day and night prior, but none of them had answered. On top of that, Jeremy had disappeared from the hospital and no one knew where to even start looking.

So, the group had decided to skip school and spend the day trying to find them, not that they were expecting much luck. They had been driving around all day, searching every inch of the city they knew, and they were running out of places to look.

“Where the hell could they be?” Rich muttered as they walked towards Jake’s minivan in the parking lot. “They wouldn’t just disappear like that without a word, would they?”

“I hope Jeremy’s alright,” Brooke said sadly. “He looked like he was in really bad shape.”

Chloe put an arm around her in comfort, “They’re gonna get an earful when we find them,” She muttered.

Just then, Jenna’s phone vibrated. She looked at it and let out a gasp seeing a Facetime request, “Guys! It’s Christine!” She exclaimed. Everyone ran over to Jenna and she accepted the call. “Christine?!”

“Oh wow, it’s all of you!” Christine said.

“Wait, really?” Everyone gasped as Michael appeared in the screen too.

“Oh thank god!” Brooke exclaimed.

“Jesus, guys, do you have any idea how worried we were?!” Rich nearly yelled.

“We were worried sick, that’s how!” Chloe added. “You just up and disappear without even a text?! What the hell?!”

Michael smiled, “Okay, while it’s super sweet to see that you all care so much, we got a problem.”

“Kinda random, but where exactly are you guys?” Christine asked.

“Looking for you!” Rich exploded, still mad. “We’ve been driving around in Jake’s minivan all day!”

“Yeah, but where are you guys?” Christine repeated.

“Near the edge of Middleborough, where are you?” Jenna answered.

“Really?” Christine asked, lighting up and looking at Michael, “Oh my gosh, they’re close; we may actually get out of here!”

Jenna’s eyes narrowed in concern, “What are you talking about; where the hell are you?”

“...A janitor’s closet,” Christine answered uneasily.

Jenna resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “A janitor’s closet, _where?”_ She clarified.

* * *

 

Back at the lab, Michael and Christine were crouching near the door of the closet, keeping watch. They exchanged a troubled look and glanced back at Jeremy and Squip, who were back in their regular clothes and sitting against the back wall, Squip slowly sipping his Mountain Dew. Jeremy was leaning against him, his exhaustion finally catching up to him.

“Some kind of temporary government lab,” Michael finally answered slowly. All the faces on the screen gave them a look.

“But Jeremy’s with us too,” Christine quickly added and everyone lit up.

“Really?! Is he okay?!” Brooke asked urgently.

“Where are you, what’s going on?!” Jake exclaimed.

Michael grimaced, “Well…”

“What?!” Rich demanded.“If something’s going on with Jeremy, then we want in!”

“It’s a long story…” Michael said.

“Look, it turns out that noise Jeremy heard in his shed a few days ago was actually an alien, his name is Squip, and he’s connected mentally with Jeremy so they can feel each other’s pain, like some kind of weird sync thing, and Jeremy and Michael have been trying to help Squip signal his family and get back home but then the government kidnapped both Squip and Jeremy and they both almost died, but we got away and there are guys after us so we need your help to get out of here and get Squip to his signal so he can go home!” Christine spilled in one long rush.

The group stared at her and Michael shrugged with a nod, “Yeah, what she said.”

“Are you kidding me?” Chloe asked flatly.

“Look, you can believe what you want about the alien thing, but we seriously need your help getting Jeremy out of here, so are you coming or not?!” Michael said impatiently.

Everyone was quiet. “Where do we need to go?” Brooke finally asked. Michael relayed the address to them, along with a verbal description of the building and told them to meet them there. “And make sure to come the rest of the way on foot, a car might draw attention!” He added.

Christine hung up and headed over to Squip and Jeremy. “Okay, think you guys can walk? We have a bit of escaping to do.”

“I believe I have fully recovered,” Squip responded, putting down the empty soda bottle.

“Good enough for me,” Jeremy said, climbing to his feet and helping Squip up.

“Then let’s get the hell outta dodge!” Michael said. They peeked out the door, but still, no one was in sight. They hurried in the opposite direction of the examination room, Christine easily navigating them the way she and Michael came in. However, when they reached the exit, they found it blocked by a number of men.

“Shit!” Michael hissed and they turned tail just seconds before they were spotted.

“Now what?” Jeremy whispered.

“We find another way!” Christine answered. They took another path, narrowly avoiding other people, when they spied another exit that was thankfully unguarded. They hurried out the door leading to behind the building where a bunch of vans were patiently parked.

Michael grinned, “Looks like we won’t need Jake’s van after all.”

* * *

 

Meanwhile, just outside the lab, a very confused group of familiar teenagers were fidgeting anxiously nearby, waiting for some sign of their friends. They had gotten to the right address and walked to where they were supposed to meet, but Michael, Christine and Jeremy were nowhere in sight!

“Looks like they weren’t lying about the lab thing,” Rich commented.

“They better hurry up and get out here,” Chloe remarked, hugging herself. “This place is giving me the creeps.”

“How did they even end up here?” Jake wondered.

“I just hope they didn’t get in trouble or anything,” Brooke said worriedly.

“If nothing happens soon I’m just gonna text Christine and ask where she is,” Jenna said. But no sooner after she uttered that sentence, a large white van sped out from around the building and away from the lab. The van stopped beside them and the passenger window rolled down. “Christine?!” Jenna exclaimed.

“Get in the back!” Christine yelled. “We gotta hurry! C’mon!” The teens clambered into the back of the van, Jake opening the doors.

“Jeremy!” Brooke exclaimed happily, jumping in first and throwing her arms around him. “You’re okay!” Everyone followed her but then froze as they noticed the glowing person near him.

“Holy shit…” Jake breathed, while Jenna wordlessly raised her phone and snapped a picture.

“Don’t post that, Jenna,” Christine warned, she and Michael looking back from the front seats.

“Close the doors guys, we gotta go!” Michael added. Jake blinked and did so, while everyone else kept staring at Squip, Brooke having moved to slightly hide behind Jeremy.

“Don’t stare, it’s rude!” Christine chided as Michael began to turn the van around.

“What is going on here?” Chloe asked shakily.

“He’s an alien,” Jeremy said quickly. “We’re getting him back to his spaceship.”

“I told you!” Christine couldn’t help but blurt out.

“But...don’t aliens just beam up to the ship?” Rich asked, still a bit shell-shocked.

Squip raised an eyebrow and Michael rolled his eyes, “This is reality, Rich!”

“And don’t worry, he’s harmless,” Christine said. “He’s our friend.” Squip smiled slightly at that. Just then, Jeremy glanced out the back windows, seeing a bunch of men coming towards them.

“Oh shit…” Michael muttered as men were coming from the front as well.

“Floor it, Michael!” Jeremy yelled. Michael did just that, and the van sped off, throwing everyone in the back. The men all scattered, throwing themselves out of the vehicles way, and Michael made a beeline for the main road.

“Please tell me you remember how to get back,” Michael said to Christine.

“Of course I do; I have a photographic memory,” Christine responded.

“Since when?” Michael asked.

“How do you think I remember everyone’s parts in plays so easily?” Christine responded.

“Good point.” They turned a sharp corner, throwing everyone to ground except for Squip and Jeremy, as the alien had an arm around the boy, keeping him balanced.

Jeremy quickly hurried up and gripped the back of Michael’s seat, “Just how far away from home are we?” He asked.

“Like the other side of town,” Michael answered. “Took us like two and a half hours to drive up here.” Jeremy exchanged a glance with Squip; both of them had been drugged up and hadn’t realized just how far they’d been taken.

“Hey, so are we just gonna leave our cars back there?” Jake asked.

“We’ll come back for them; this is an emergency!” Christine answered.

“What the hell did we get ourselves into?” Chloe muttered.

“At this point, just roll with the punches, Chlo,” Rich responded.

“How did you even steal this thing?” Jenna called up to Michael.

“This was the only one where some idiot left the keys behind!” Michael responded with a chuckle. To their surprise, they made it to the main road without any sign of people following them. That didn’t stop Michael from pushing the speed limit; it wasn’t long before they reached a familiar part of New Jersey.

“Okay, hang tight; we’re almost home-free!” Christine said.

“...Uh guys, we may have a problem,” Rich said, looking out the back window and seeing multiple black cars following them.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Michael agreed, his eyes on the gas gage as the needle was on empty.

“What do we do?” Brooke asked worriedly.

“I don’t think we can outrun cars, guys!” Jake agreed.

Jeremy looked around outside through the windshield until he spied a store coming into view. “Pull over here, I’ve got an idea.”

“Should we be concerned?” Jenna asked, only slightly teasing.

“It’s all we got, so we’ll see.”

Michael nodded and turned the corner.

A few moments later, the cars all skidded to a halt around the van and the men all hurried out. The van was sitting idly on the street, the doors all wide open. A few of them climbed inside the van only to find it completely empty. Others scoped out the streets, looking for a group of running kids, but found no one.

“Did they just disappear?” One of them wondered.

“No, they’ve got to be somewhere close by,” Another said. “How else could they get away so fast?”

No one noticed the nearby bike shop where a few bikes were missing from the outside display.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've seen E.T., you know what's coming next X3c
> 
> Also, worried!Squip Squad; another thing I didn't know I needed until now XD


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The kids and Squip escape...and the time comes for them to part ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? No, I didn't listen to the E.T. soundtrack or rewatch clips while writing this, what are you talking about?

“Jeremy there is only a 60% probability of this actually working.” Squip said, sitting behind Jeremy on their stolen bike, pulling his black hood over his head.

“Then maybe we’ll get lucky,” Jeremy responded, before glancing at the four other bikes around him. Thank god the bikes were all small enough for them to ride but big enough to hold two people each. “Make sure your hoods are all up!”

“You sure this will work?” Brooke asked, holding her hood while gripping Michael in front of her.

“It’s better than nothing!” Rich pointed out while Jenna pulled her hood up behind him.

“Man, it’s been so long since I’ve gone on a bike ride!” Jake joked, Chloe clinging to his back.

“Just don’t take time to relax!” Christine warned, solo on her own bike.

“Where are we even going?” Jenna asked.

“Middleborough Forest!” Jeremy answered with ease, feeling a small spark on confirmation from Squip. They rode down a hill, building up speed, and as they did so, the sound of a motor was heard behind them. A glance back revealed a familiar black car; they found them! They needed to find a way to the forest and fast!

Squip squeezed his shoulder slightly, and Jeremy suddenly had the answer, “Follow me!” He called, turning down another street and then into an alley. The cars screeched to a halt and the group emerged out onto another street, only to see two more cars screech to a halt before hitting them. As soon as they could, the group exited the road and got to the sidewalk.

Eventually a large field came up, leading to a forest. It wasn’t the forest they needed to get to, but it was home to a bike path that led to where they needed to go. “Head to the bike path!” Jeremy called. Everyone turned onto the field but that didn’t stop the cars. The teens pedaled quickly until they dipped down and turned onto the bike path. For a moment they thought they were home free, but that was dashed when four cars drove down and along the path behind them.

“We can’t keep this up forever!” Rich called.

“What do we do?” Brooke called.

Jeremy frowned as he went over the path in his head and an idea came to him. “We’re gonna split up!” Jeremy called. “Everyone take a different path and meet back on the main road!” Everyone gave a verbal confirmation and they rode into the forest. “Ready?” Jeremy called.

“Let’s do it!” Michael responded. And with that, they all gradually split onto different paths. Christine rode after Michael and Brooke so as to draw more attention while the other duos took their own paths. Jeremy glanced behind them, and grinned as the police cars skidded to a halt. Now they were stumped, which gave them all the time they needed.

Jeremy rode along his designated path, trying his best to avoid as many bumps and tree roots as possible. After about five minutes, the end of the path came into view, revealing a decent sized hill through the trees and out to the sidewalk.

“Hang on!” Jeremy called back to Squip, who promptly tightened his grip on Jeremy.

“Are you sure this is safe?” Squip asked.

“Nope!” Jeremy’s bike dipped down and Squip let out a small yelp as they zoomed down the hill. Jeremy avoided the trees and in a matter of seconds, they made it to the sidewalk (thankfully not hitting anybody walking along) and they were out on the road.

Squip deflated in relief, “Luck seems to always affect you positively, Jeremy,” He commented.

Jeremy breathed out a laugh, “Trust me, my luck usually sucks,” He said. They rode along the road for a few more moments, all alone. “I hope the others made it,” Jeremy mused. Right on cue, four bikes emerged from the brush one by one, entering the main road alongside them. They all let out small cheers as they spied everyone, having made it safe and sound.

“We made it!” Rich cheered, taking off his hood along with Jenna.

“Hell yeah!” Jake responded, Chloe and Brooke taking off their hoods as well.

However, their victory was short lived, as a mass of people emerged from the trees, one of their hands barely brushing Jenna’s back. “Holy shit!” She shrieked.

“Move!” Christine yelled. Everyone began pedaling madly, building up any speed they lost. Thankfully, the guys clearly weren’t athletic by any means as they easily fell behind. They just had to keep pedaling and they’d find another way to-

“Jeremy,” Squip squeezed his shoulder, and Jeremy looked up and paled. Four black cars had pulled up and cut off their path. Suited men got out of the cars, carrying pistols and one even holding a large rifle. They were riding right into a massacre...but they couldn’t stop!

Jeremy felt Squip squeeze his shoulder again and the alien looked out at the cars before them. He stared at them and his eyes slowly glowed bright blue. The bikes suddenly picked up speed, all on their own. Right when they were about to reach the cars, the bikes rose into the air. The teens all let out yelps and shrieks as they easily flew over the cars and high above the houses and trees. Jeremy looked back at Squip in amazement, and the alien gave him a smile, his eyes still glowing. Of course; bikes were made of metal!

“Holy shit, this is fucking rad!” Michael exclaimed, his eyes wide with excitement, Christine squealing happily on her bike next to him.

“Uh, not that this isn’t awesome, but how are we steering these things?!” Jake yelled, Chloe burying her face in his back muffling her screams.

“Squip will steer us; just keep pedaling!” Jeremy yelled.

“Just tell me when it’s over!” Rich yelled, squeezing his eyes shut while he pedaled. Jeremy couldn’t help but stare in awe at the small buildings below them. He had never flown before and it felt like nothing he ever knew. It was amazing!

The sky turned orange as they flew, the forest eventually coming in to view. The bikes slowly descended towards a small clearing in the forest, and Jeremy tensed. “Please don’t crash, please don’t crash…” He softly begged. The rest of the teens braced themselves and Squip concentrated. The bikes all became level with the ground before being dropped, allowing the kids to roll a bit before hitting the brakes and skidding to a halt.

Everyone dismounted the bikes, a few shaking slightly from the ride. “Best. Bike ride. Ever!” Jake proclaimed.

“That was amazing!” Rich exclaimed. “And also terrifying...but mostly amazing!”

Chloe and Brooke both let out shaky sighs and sat down on the ground. “If that’s what flying is like, I’m never doing it again,” Chloe said.

“I mean, it was kinda cool, but...still kinda scary,” Brooke whined. Squip breathed heavily, leaning on his knees, his circuits fading slightly.

“Squip?” Jeremy stood beside him, and hand on his back, “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Squip said, albeit a bit breathlessly, “I believe so.”

“Well good, cause we’re fresh out of Mountain Dew,” Michael said, approaching them.

“Now what?” Brooke called.

Jeremy helped Squip stand up straight and pointed to the forest, “This way!” The kids all abandoned the bikes and hurried into the trees, Jeremy and Squip in the lead. They ran for a few moments, until they reached the familiar spot, where a device was covered with small branches and leaves. The blue light was still pulsating, the signal still going strong. Jeremy started pulling away the machine’s disguise, when the whole area lit up. A bright light was shining down on them...from the sky.

Everyone looked up and their jaws dropped. A large ship was hovering above them, slowly lowering to the ground. The ship was smooth and light blue, a few lights blinking here and there as it prepared to land. “Is that…?” Jeremy trailed off.

“Yes,” Squip answered. “They’re here.”

Air blew around them as the thrusters powered up, allowing the ship to gently touch down. The ship was big, but also small enough to land perfectly in the clearing. Everyone quickly moved back, with the exception of Jeremy, Michael, Christine, and Squip. Once the ship was safely on the ground, the lights dimmed, as well as the engines as it settled on the ground. Squip gently touched Jeremy’s shoulder before moving to the front of the group.

A door before them slid open, bright lights shining so brightly that the interior couldn’t be seen, save for a few circuits on the walls that resembled Squip’s on his body. A few moments later, a figure could be seen standing in the entrance of the ship. It had glowing eyes and circuits on its body similar to Squip’s, only they glowed green. Squip faced the figure and his eyes glowed blue for a good few seconds, along with the figure’s. After a while, the glowing faded, and Squip seemed to deflate in slight relief.

“What’s happening?” Jeremy asked.

“I was simply reassuring them that there is no longer any immediate danger,” Squip said.

“Good to know,” Michael muttered, remembering that one of them could easily disintegrate a person into ash.

Squip spoke mentally with the figure once more. After a few more seconds, Squip nodded and turned to his companions, “I only have a few moments,” He said.

Christine’s eyes widened, “What? You have to leave right now? Already?”

Squip nodded, “We have to take off before those men discover our location,” He said. “I don’t think many will react well if they see a ship this size.”

Michael and Christine slowly nodded while Jeremy lowered his head, clenching his fists. Christine wiped her eyes, already tearing up, “I only knew you for a few days, but...I don’t want you to go!” She exclaimed.

“I’m very glad to have met you,” Squip said. “All of you.”

“Same here,” Michael said softly, his voice shaking a bit.

“You be careful out there in space, okay?” Christine said, her voice cracking. “You better not get shot down again, and don’t do anything reckless and get yourself killed!”

“I won’t, I promise,” Squip said, resting a hand on her head and crouching slightly to meet her eyes as he gently rubbed her head. “Take good care of Jeremy.” He glanced at both her and Michael.

Christine sniffed, “We will,” She said with a nod. “As long as you take care of yourself.” Squip nodded and removed his hand from her head, giving Christine’s hands a squeeze.

Michael came up next, hands in his pockets. They were silent for a moment until Michael pulled something out of his pocket, “Here,” He held out a small Mountain Dew bottle, “I lied; I had a little more,” He said. Squip took the bottle and looked at it. “Just, you know, a little something to remember us by,” Michael said, his hands back in his pockets.

Squip smiled softly and put the bottle in one of his inner pockets. He then held his hand out, “Thank you, Michael, for everything,” He said.

Michael smiled and slowly shook it, “No problem, dude,” He said softly. The handshake lingered for a moment and ended with a squeeze before Michael let go and stepped back and Jeremy finally stepped up to Squip. He glanced up at him for a second before lowering his head again; his eyes were dangerously full of tears, threatening to fall.

“Jeremy…” Squip said softly, feeling a pang of guilt for causing Jeremy this kind of pain.

Jeremy sniffed, “So, this is it,” He stated.

“I’m afraid so,” Squip said. They stood in silence for a moment. “There...there is nothing I can possibly say after everything you’ve done for me,” Squip said. “I’m...going to miss you, Jeremy.”

Jeremy nodded, “I’ll miss you too,” Jeremy rubbed his arm, “Do you think...I’ll ever see you again?”

Squip slowly shook his head, “I’m afraid I don’t have an answer,” He said. He gently lifted Jeremy’s chin with his hand, “But I won’t ever forget my experience here; meeting you, Michael, and Christine, learning from you...this data, these...memories, I will always keep them close to me for as long as I exist.” Jeremy sniffed, his tears finally spilling, and he slowly stepped towards him, the two slowly entering a hug.

Squip held him tightly, resting a hand on Jeremy’s hair, gently stroking it. Taking a deep breath, Squip closed his eyes and rested his cheek on the top of Jeremy’s head, causing Jeremy to squeeze him tighter. He would never admit it, but Squip felt liquid forming in his eyes as they stood there in embrace.

A few moments later, the figure at the entrance to the ship glowed slightly. Squip opened his eyes; it was time to go. Squip and Jeremy slowly parted, Squip’s hands lingering on Jeremy’s shoulders as the teen’s face was still wet with tears.

“I wish you...didn’t have to go,” Jeremy said through a sob.

Squip sighed sadly, “A part of me wishes that as well. But, technically, I’m not leaving at all.”

“W-What do you mean?” Jeremy asked.

Squip smiled and tapped his own temple, “We’re connected, remember; you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He lowered his arm, “My voice may be softer and further away,” He tapped Jeremy’s temple, “but if you ever need me, I’ll always be right up here.”

Jeremy slowly smiled through his tears and nodded, “Bye, Squip,” He whispered.

Squip smiled back, “Goodbye, Jeremy.” And with that, Squip turned towards the ship and walked towards it. Jeremy watched him walk up the ramp and come face to face with the figure at the entrance. A few seconds later, they both fully entered the ship, but Squip lingered at the entrance.

Squip turned towards Jeremy as the ramp slowly slid up and back into the ship, the light from within making only his glowing blue eyes and circuits visible. The two locked eyes, sharing a final silent farewell, before the door slowly closed. Everyone watched as the ship lit up, the thrusters coming to life, lifting the craft off the ground. Jeremy stayed still, his hair blowing in the wind that the ship made as it slowly rose above the trees. Once it was high enough, the thrusters activated and it zoomed into the sky.

Jeremy felt Michael and Christine come up behind him, Michael putting his arm around him and Christine taking his hand. They both leaned on Jeremy as they all watched the ship fly into the sky like a comet, until it finally vanished into the starry sky, leaving a brilliant blue trail behind.

“Where are they going?” Christine asked softly.

Jeremy smiled, his eyes falling on a small blue star in the distance, “There,” He said, pointing. “They’re going home.”

“I kinda hope he’ll come visit one day,” Michael said.

Jeremy felt a small hum in the back of his head, a bud of warmth that he knew well, “He will...I’m sure of it.”

The three watched the starry sky, their eyes on the small blue star that seemed to give off a slight glimmer; suddenly, the universe seemed a lot smaller now that they had a friend that came from the very stars above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all! Thank you so much for following me on this journey!
> 
> But this isn't the end of the story; stay tuned and you shall see ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me about BMC and other musicals on my tumblr @pika-ace


End file.
